Opportunity knocked on the door for Robert Williams after the Celtics traded their starting center Daniel Theis at the buzzer before Thursday’s trade deadline and the third-year center answered the call with one of the best performances of his career in Friday’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Normally, Williams makes his biggest impact on the offensive end of the floor with his finishing ability around the rim but he shined most in this one on the defensive end against what was the NBA’s hottest team (eight straight wins) before Friday’s impressive win by Boston. Williams was an imposing defensive presence in his first start of the season, piling up five blocks and two steals over his 27 minutes, captaining a Boston defense that had been hapless (27th in NBA) since the All-Star Break.
Milwaukee got their open 3s still but Williams provided a solid layer of projection around the rim, giving him from the weak side and altering layup attempts that forced the Bucks into some misses from point-blank range.
“Rob can impact at the rim but if you make him rotate off his guy, teams are good enough to jump pass and dump it off to the big in the dunker or they’re good enough to jump past get their eyes to the rim, and hit corners,” Brad Stevens said. “That’s how we got sprayed a few times on individual drives. So it’s nice to have guys that can block shots down there.”
Offensively, Williams didn’t shoot much but his impact was terrific as the rest of Boston’s starting five got red-hot from 3-point range. He scored nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field but also dished out a career-high six assists, making strong reads from the high post which created easy looks for his teammates. That vision combined with zero turnovers helped Boston reach new heights in the second half with a season-high 43 point third quarter.
“He’s got to create a great synergy with the starters as far as getting them open, and getting them the right looks and those types of things,” Stevens said. “I thought he did a great job tonight. Listen, he’s clearly our best big that’s here. It’s not a knock on Mo or Luke. He’s just ahead of both those guys. We’ll cross all those other bridges when we get there.”
For now, Williams is Boston’s starter by default with Tristan Thompson still in NBA health and safety protocols and Theis set to debut for the Bulls next week. However, the Celtics have their eyes on some big names in the buyout market including former Cavs center Andre Drummond who the team met with on Friday, according to a source.
The Celtics have a strong pitch for Drummond given the fact that they have a starting job up for grabs at center but Williams’ play against the Bucks on Friday is an interesting wrinkle on whether Drummond if the best fit for the starting five if he in fact chooses Boston over a host of other suitors (LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Brooklyn, New York). Drummond provides far more bulk than Williams down low but the young Celtic has seen few chances in his career to play big minutes. Taking that away from him for a potential rental in Drummond could be a mistake.
However, Boston signing Drummond doesn’t necessarily mean the Celtics have to start him or even give him any of Williams’ 20-25 minutes per game. Tristan Thompson remains out in NBA health and safety protocols and his return timetable is still unclear. His lackluster play over the first 40 games of the year may ultimately make him the odd man out in the center rotation if Drummond is signed since that duo would have a bit of a redundant skillset that we saw together at times last year in Cleveland when they briefly played together after the trade deadline.
No matter what happens with Drummond, Williams is making a strong case for an extended starting case for himself even though Brad Stevens wouldn’t commit to anything for the time being beyond the short-term.
“I feel like I did what I’m put out there to do,” Williams said. “I feel like I exerted a lot of energy with me and my teammates. That’s my job. That’s what it’s about.”
Whether that’s enough to earn him the job for the long haul remains to be seen but the Celtics starting five played their best game of road basketball in months on Friday night. Consistency is the next step for Williams and the rest of the roster but the case for developing Williams with the starters got stronger on Friday night, no matter who ends up in a Celtic uniform off the buyout market.
“I said from the get-go, getting in there, getting more minutes is a blessing,” Williams said. “That’s how I’m looking at it. You gotta take advantage. If you don’t take advantage of it, you’re losing.”