The Boston Celtics’ championship aspirations suffered a major blow when starting center Robert Williams III tore the meniscus in his left knee during a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday evening. Williams, the anchor in the middle of the NBA’s top-rated defense, is out indefinitely and will undergo surgery to repair his meniscus.
Williams will miss the rest of the regular season. In fact, the 24-year-old will likely miss the entirety of the first round (and possibly beyond) of the NBA postseason. The best-case scenario for the Celtics would be for Williams to return for the Eastern Conference Semifinals — assuming the team can advance past the opening round without their high-flying big man.
Prior to Monday’s overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors, the Celtics were the hottest team in the league. They had been on a roll since the calendar flipped to 2022, and Williams has been a major reason why. Williams ranks No. 1 among players in the league who have defended 500 or more shots as the closest defender, holding opponents to 40% shooting and 0.90 points per shot:
Lowest Points Per Shot Allowed As Closest Defender*
2021-221. Robert Williams III … 0.90
2. Rudy Gobert ………. 0.93
3. I. Hartenstein …….. 0.95
4. Jarrett Allen ………. 0.95
5. Bobby Portis ……… 0.96*Min. 500 shots defended, 169 qualifiers pic.twitter.com/ZxBOspHDrR
— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) March 28, 2022
Williams enjoyed the best regular season of his career, averaging personal highs in points (10.0), rebounds (9.6), minutes (29.7) and blocks (2.2) per contest. He excels as a rim protector but is also prolific as a pick-and-roll defender. Williams is more than deserving of a spot on one of the NBA’s All-Defensive Teams:
Robert Williams. Incredible. pic.twitter.com/lSf1YQNffE
— Rob Greene (@RobGreeneNBA) February 12, 2022
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According to FanDuel, Williams is a long-shot Defensive Player of the Year (+3000) candidate. However, his teammate, guard Marcus Smart, is now on the odds-on favorite (+170) to win the award. It should come as no surprise, then, that the defensive duo of Smart and Williams is a deadly force and statistically dominant. Williams and Smart held the best NBA’s best ranking as a duo when switching on a pick-and-roll, by allowing only 0.49 points per opportunity, per The Ringer.
In the absence of Williams, the Celtics can rely on Daniel Theis. Now in his second stint with the team, the veteran big man knows his role. He has plenty of experience starting in the frontcourt next to Al Horford — who is also on his second go-round with the team — and offers adequate defensive ability.
The Celtics should, however, elect to go with a small-ball lineup by inserting Grant Williams in the starting five and moving Horford over to center. Grant Williams has played a key role in the Celtics’ resurgence this season. He can guard multiple positions and can stretch the floor. He has shot 42% from 3-point land in 2021-22, ranking sixth across the entire league among players who have appeared in 50+ contests.
Regardless of whether Grant Williams or Theis starts for the immediate future, the Celtics will sorely miss Robert Williams in the interior. The athletic big man leads the league in field goal percentage (73.6), another career-best mark, and is a menace in the paint defensively. Williams has a major impact on Boston’s success — as best evidence by his 9.9 win shares, which ranks sixth in the NBA. That mark is even above superstar teammate Jayson Tatum, who has blossomed into a surefire superstar and will earn some top-five votes for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award.
The Celtics must hope that Williams can return at some point during the playoffs. With Williams, the Celtics are as dangerous as any Eastern Conference team and could reach the Finals for the 22nd time in franchise history. But without Williams, the Celtics are no longer a true threat to win the NBA title.
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