Boston Celtics center Robert Williams underwent surgery for a torn meniscus on Wednesday morning, and his timetable to return is four to six weeks, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Williams will miss the rest of the season and likely the entire first round of the playoffs, but this timeline would give him the opportunity to be back at some point in the second round if things go right. The second round of the playoffs are just over a month away, and there's reportedly some optimism he could return at the front end of that timetable. If the Celtics do advance, perhaps the big man will be able to play in the entire second round, or at least most of it.
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Of course, Williams could need a bit of ramp-up time in order to be playoff ready, so a return a little later in the second round seems a bit more realistic. There's also always the possibility the recovery doesn't go smoothly and a return is pushed back to the Eastern Conference Finals (again, if the Celtics make it that far), but this timetable is the best Boston could have hoped for in terms of getting the big man back this season.
Williams is a tough loss for the time being. The 24-year-old is enjoying a breakout campaign with averages of 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.0 assists in 29.6 minutes per game. He's also shooting 73.6% from the field as a terrific lob threat. Defensively, he's a stout rim protector whose versatility helps anchor the best defensive in the NBA. He's obviously not too shabby on the glass as well.
The Celtics brought back Daniel Theis for frontcourt depth ahead of the trade deadline, so he'll likely get an increased role with Williams out. Boston can also play smaller with a frontcourt of Al Horford and Grant Williams.
The Celtics are 47-29 on the season, which is good for third in the Eastern Conference.
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