Sporting a cumbersome knee brace round his left knee and being a person of few phrases, you wouldn’t suppose that Robert Williams was such an integral a part of the Boston Celtics at their greatest. His stat line of 4 factors, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and three blocks belie his overwhelming affect in a 120-95 win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday evening. His humble postgame interview doesn’t precisely scream, “that is a very powerful participant on the workforce”:
And but after two video games and extra so, three weeks of uninspired ball, it’s onerous to not suppose that Williams will not be a minimum of the lacking hyperlink between this Celtics workforce being good and being a authentic contender.
“Rob is incredible. Rob is the important thing,” Jaylen Brown mentioned after Williams logged simply over fifteen minutes in his second sport again from a strained hamstring. “We gotta hold Rob wholesome, hold his mindset sturdy, hold discovering him when he will get to the basket. He’s such an impactful participant on each ends of the ground. Anytime he’s on the market, he makes our workforce lots higher.”
A really small pattern measurement in fact, however Williams’ influence is simple. The Kings and Pacers have top-10 offenses for the reason that All-Star break and the Celtics crushed them each in blowout style in back-to-back video games.
For Boston, Williams adjustments your complete geometry of the court docket when he’s on the ground. As a vertical house within the offense, he’s pulling the bigs within the paint and diversifying the Celtics’ three-point heavy method. With defenses having to account for the springy middle, there’s extra space and air to cowl. A number of weeks in the past, head coach Joe Mazzulla lamented that not all layups are straightforward and that generally, even a not-so-open three is a greater shot; with Williams lurking across the restricted space, drivers can discover him relatively than placing up a contested two.
Nevertheless, Williams is most felt on protection. The Second Crew All-Protection middle nonetheless doesn’t have his legs below him but, however he’s already wreaking havoc.
“His rim safety,” Mazzulla mentioned of the place Williams is most felt. “One of many issues he bought higher at within the second half was his defensive presence, recognizing who he was guarding, and with the ability to assist early. When he’s there, he brings that presence on the rim. He was in a position to assistance on drives.”
Final season, one of many largest changes that flipped the season for C’s was utilizing Williams as a form of free security that might freelance away from the ball. If an offense might penetrate Boston’s switching perimeter protection, they’d need to be cautious of the Time Lord’s 7’6” wingspan and 40” vertical.
“Basically like a security internet, realizing that you simply bought him defending the rim, blocking photographs, altering photographs, deterring guys away from attacking. He helps us out lots in that means,” Jayson Tatum mentioned.
Schematically, it’s apparent what Williams brings to the sport. Culturally and mentally, he means much more.
“When you might have a man like that, it clearly jolts your defensive pleasure to be slightly bit extra aggressive,” Mazzulla mentioned. “You simply really feel that. Rob simply has an intangible the place guys simply really feel protected due to his skill to do this. It positively ups our guys’ depth defensively.”
“It’s an pleasure due to the kind of particular person Rob is and the kind of participant that he’s,” Mazzulla added.
