In just a couple weeks time, the league leading Boston Celtics will be getting a huge reinforcement. The current NBA Championship favorites will get to add their starting Center and defensive standout to an already dominant team.
Robert Williams Breakout
After a breakout season for Robert Williams last year where he averaged 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game, the excitement from the fanbase for Robert Williams was at an all time high. Williams also finished seventh in Defensive Player Of the Year voting last season.
The potential everybody saw was finally reached, and even surpassed. The Celtics now had a ceiling raiser in Robert Williams.
Entering The 2022-23 Season
Coming into this season, Celtics fans were ready for more of the same, until a report from Woj announced that Williams would miss the first weeks of the season due to knee surgery from an injury suffered last season.
This news put a slight halt to the fans excitement for the start of the season.
But the Celtics 18-4 start surpassed the hype the team had from even before the Rob injury news was known.
Celtics Weakness and the Rob Impact
If there has been any “weakness” for this team to this point it has been the defense, which is still top 20 in the league at 20th, with a 112.4 defensive rating, and rebounding which currently sits at 26th in the league with 41.6 per game.
Now they get to add, not only their best defender, but one of the best defensive players in the league, and their best rebounder. Those weak spots might not be such a problem anymore, and that’s scary for every team in the league.
Offensive system
Offensively the Celtics system is predicated on ball movement and cutting, which, to this point, has led to a ton of open looks from three where they shoot 40.8% on 41.6 attempts per game, as well as inside the restricted area.
This has led to a historically great offense through 20 games.
The addition of Robert Williams not only brings another weapon on cuts and in the pick and roll game, but it also offers a “bail out” option when plays breakdown, where you can just throw it up to the most athletic guy on the court. He also helps the offensive rebounding where the Celtics currently sit at 28th in the league with eight per game.
Problems Solved
With just one addition, the return of Robert Williams means eliminating the two main weaknesses the current roster has. If the Celtics weren’t already the most well rounded roster in the league, they sure are now.
