New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis was impressed with what he saw from Boston Celtics rookie center Robert Williams in Monday night's game.
In what was their sixth straight win, the Celtics defeated the Pelicans, 113-100. Following the game, the 25-year-old superstar had high praise for the effort that Williams put forth.
“He’s good,” Davis told reporters after Monday's game, referring to Williams. “He’s talented. He’s a good defensive player.”
Williams, a native of Louisiana, admits that he grew up idolizing Davis. Facing the player he looked up to for the first time, the young center racked up seven points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and one steal in 26 minutes of playing time.
One of his two blocks against Davis came in dramatic fashion.
Davis caught the ball in the paint with Williams guarding closely. Davis backed in with a dribble step before spinning into a pump fake. Williams stayed home on Davis' fake and sent his ensuing hook-shot back with authority, resulting in a roar of cheers from the crowd inside TD Garden.
“I was surprised,” Davis admitted after the game. “I thought he was going to go for the pump fake, and he didn’t. I just tried to shoot over him.”
“He plays hard,” said Davis, who was out-rebounded 11-7 by Williams despite having played 12 more minutes. “If he keeps working on it, he’s going to get better.”
The Celtics, who are dealing with several frontcourt injuries, needed a lift off the bench. However, though Williams played well, the five-time All-Star still managed to drop 41 points. Despite that fact, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens thinks the 21-year-old high-flyer “did a lot of good things.”
“I thought Robert did a lot of good things,” coach Stevens said after Monday's game. “When guys are shooting jumpers and Robert is in the vicinity, you feel him. When they're shooting around the rim and he's in the vicinity, they feel him. I think he can improve a lot, but I though he did a really good job.”
“Offensively, he was active, got some hands on some offensive rebounds, made a couple of tip-ins and kicked it out,” Stevens added, referring to Williams' performance. “I thought he was good.”
Exactly how much playing time he'll get throughout this season remains to be seen but it's clear that the Celtics (and The Brow) like his potential.
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