The Boston Celtics are going to be relying on rookie big man Robert Williams more than they envisioned now that Aron Baynes is out for the foreseeable future and All-Star Al Horford is still out with knee soreness.

In his two seasons at Texas A&M, Robert Williams was one of the best shot blockers in college basketball. The 6-foot-10 center averaged 2.5 blocks per game his freshmen year and 2.6 in his sophomore campaign.

Williams' defensive instincts have carried over to the NBA, as entering Thursday, the 21-year-old leads the NBA in blocks per 36 minutes, averaging 6.3 blocks per 36 minutes (h/t Nick Gross of NBC Sports Boston). Williams is averaging 1.6 blocks per game while scoring 2.7 points and grabbing 3.0 rebounds.

Aron Baynes is going to miss around a month with a broken left hand. Al Horford's sore left knee hasn't gotten better and the Celtics don't know when the five-time All-Star is going to return to action. Robert Williams has shown he can anchor the defense, but the rookie is going to have to be a factor on offense as well. He doesn't have many post up skills, but when Boston star point guard Kyrie Irving collapses the paint on his drives to the basket, that should free Williams up for easy alley-oops and casual dunks in traffic.