Robert Williams has a bright future. The late first-round pick has flashed his otherworldly athletic gifts on semi-frequent occasion when pressed into action for the Boston Celtics as a rookie, most evident near the rim, where he's an imminent lob threat offensively and already established himself as one of the league's premier weak-side shot-blockers.
In fact, Williams' 12.7 block percentage is the highest single-season mark in league history among players who have notched at least 200 minutes of playing time, per basketball-reference.
Before proving that small sample size an indication of his true rim-protecting ability and developing into one of the league's most valuable defenders, though, Williams must get more comfortable switching out onto guards – as Kemba Walker made abundantly clear on Saturday while embarrassing the rookie with a nasty between-the-legs step-back that almost made him fall over.
Kemba Walker got 'em stumbling 👀 pic.twitter.com/FsTMWSbrzc
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) March 23, 2019
Yikes.
Williams, to be fair, has actually fared relatively on switches this season. He has fairly quick feet, natural coordination, and the ridiculous length and leaping ability necessary to effectively challenge both jumpers and rim attempts when initially beaten off the bounce. It's not like getting roasted by Walker is rare, either; he might be the slickest ball handler in all of basketball.
The Celtics lead the Hornets early in the fourth quarter.
Follow Us
Subscribe