Robert Williams making an impact

[Roy H.]

I thought he was starting to be really useful until his injury.  Looks like he’s building on that now.

I feel pretty good about him as a backup center if Kanter leaves.

[Tr1boy]

I thought he was starting to be really useful until his injury.  Looks like he’s building on that now.

I feel pretty good about him as a backup center if Kanter leaves.

Timelord at this rate should start. Or by next season

There is nothing Theis can do better except shoot the 3 and a few years of experience

[slamtheking]

Rob Williams has made a tectonic shift on the defensive end. He is trying to play positionally and is setting more aggressive wider screens. Rob was staying earth bound with hands straight up also not biting on closeouts fakes and toned down his athletics on defence. He got a perfect mentor setting screens and rolling in Theis those couple games just sitting something clicked .Now he needs lessons from Enes Kanter on getting position on the offensive board.
His passing was a bonus after the one handed slam on a Marcus lob.

I wouldn't go that far (or even close to it) but I will say the past 2 games his mistakes have been dramatically decreased and he's been a genuine positive when on the floor.  fingers crossed this is Timelord's pivotal moment where he turns the corner from "prospect with possibilities" to "player that makes meaningful contributions in the game".

I think Williams is making strides. That's pretty exciting. I wonder how he will look against elite offenses that have ways of taking advantage of weaknesses in the playoffs. I think he would be fine one-on-one if he needed to switch out on someone, but it's the rotations that I get worried about.

exactly - it's not his on-ball D that looks bad, it's his team D, rotations and knowing when to go for a block and when not to that needs more development.  so far, it's looked like he's improved in those regards while in the bubble. 

I don't think he's passed anyone on the depth chart going into the playoffs but I think he's earning trust with the coaching staff that they can use him when they think his skillset would be beneficial on the floor and he won't kill them with mistakes.

[Vermont Green]

RWill is improving, great to see, but we still need a different kind of big.  It is nice to have him for rotation flexibility to add to Theis and Kantor but nearly all the top teams have the ability to play 2 bigs at the same time as their core rotation unit.  These are all the front court pairs for the top 5-man groups, by far, for these top teams:

Bucks     Giannis/Lopez
Lakers    Davis/McGee, Kuzma/Howard
Clipps     Morris/Zubac, George/Zubac
Raps       Siakam/Gasol, Siakam/Ibaka
Nuggets  Milsap/Jokic, Grant/Jokic
Thunder  Gallinari/Adams, Gallinari/Noel

Celtics     Hayward/Theis, Tatum/Theis

The other big exception is the Rockets.  What all of these top teams have is the ability to put out two bigs because one of them is skilled enough to be a big but still provide some level of offense.  Some of the bigs are more swings like say Paul George but these top team have a traditional big man 1-2 punch.  Paul George is still more size than Gordon Hayward.  And he plays next to Zubac, not Theis who is barely a big himself.

We don't have a big who can provide that type of offense so we can't play two bigs.  So we play one big and fill in with wings.  Not the end of the world, we are still a good team because we have enough talent outside the bigs to make up for it but it is still a weakness.  Many people try to preach that the league has changed, you don't need bigs but it is still pretty consistent that nearly all the top teams are top teams with size.   More importantly, skilled size.

[SHAQATTACK]

I thought he was starting to be really useful until his injury.  Looks like he’s building on that now.

I feel pretty good about him as a backup center if Kanter leaves.

Timelord at this rate should start. Or by next season

There is nothing Theis can do better except shoot the 3 and a few years of experience

i agree .   Timey has the skills ,  he just needs the court minutes ,  playing quality minutes to hone his game , gain confidense , and learn to manage his fouls better .   The court time and touchs is mostly what he needs.

[Roy H.]

I thought he was starting to be really useful until his injury.  Looks like he’s building on that now.

I feel pretty good about him as a backup center if Kanter leaves.

Timelord at this rate should start. Or by next season

There is nothing Theis can do better except shoot the 3 and a few years of experience

i agree .   Timey has the skills ,  he just needs the court minutes ,  playing quality minutes to hone his game , gain confidense , and learn to manage his fouls better .   The court time and touchs is mostly what he needs.

I wouldn’t start him any time soon.  For perspective, Theis is averaging 9 / 7.  Williams has one game of at least 9 / 7 in his career.

[keevsnick]

Theis and Kanter (if he picks up his PO) both have 1 year left after this year, so i think ideally RWIII proves he's a starting center sometime next year which gives the C's flexibility when dealing with free agent centers after next year. Solid playoff minutes against favorable matchups will suffice for this year.

[gouki88]

I thought he was starting to be really useful until his injury.  Looks like he’s building on that now.

I feel pretty good about him as a backup center if Kanter leaves.

Timelord at this rate should start. Or by next season

There is nothing Theis can do better except shoot the 3 and a few years of experience

C'mon man, this isn't true at all. Theis is a better screen setter, much better defender despite being less flashy, better passer (even though this is a developing strength of RW) and is much less turnover prone. Theis knows the system much better, he should start. However, the minutes split should be like:
Theis (24) / Williams (20) / ? (4)

[RPGenerate]

I think people are forgetting that Theis has anchored a top 5 defense this year. He may be disadvantaged in some matchups, but he's still our clear best center.

[gouki88]

I think people are forgetting that Theis has anchored a top 5 defense this year. He may be disadvantaged in some matchups, but he's still our clear best center.

Yeah, he's one of the most underrated bigs in the league. Does all the little things that RWill is yet to learn.

Come 2022 though, barring an FA signing or drafting some stud, I think that will be Timelord's time to start

[footey]

I thought he was starting to be really useful until his injury.  Looks like he’s building on that now.

I feel pretty good about him as a backup center if Kanter leaves.

Timelord at this rate should start. Or by next season

There is nothing Theis can do better except shoot the 3 and a few years of experience

i agree .   Timey has the skills ,  he just needs the court minutes ,  playing quality minutes to hone his game , gain confidense , and learn to manage his fouls better .   The court time and touchs is mostly what he needs.

I wouldn’t start him any time soon.  For perspective, Theis is averaging 9 / 7.  Williams has one game of at least 9 / 7 in his career.

On a minutes basis, Williams is probably averaging a lot more than Theis in bubble.  Even on per game basis last three games (the only 3 he played meaningful minutes) RW has probably averaged more per game than Theis, even with significantly fewer minutes. Plus his efficiency is off the charts.  What has he only missed one shot the last 3 games and perfect from the foul line?

While Theis will start the rest of this season and playoffs, I expect we will see Williams' minutes increase as his conditioning improves. Next season is anyone's guess, but I would not bet against Williams becoming a starter then. Brad started him opening night this season v Philly. But he just wasn't ready. Now that he staying away from foul trouble, minutes should increase.

[tstorey_97]

Robert needs minutes.

Since Dec 2, 2019 (10 games)

MPG 13
Fouls per game 2.5
PPG 6.3
Blks/gm 1.2
Rebs/gm 4.6

He has to play. He has 10 mpg in 59 appearances in his two years.

He plays with Smart and the "starters" a lot of late. Smart gets him into game the minute he gets on the court with ooops and lazer passes.

Keep in mind, Robert was on the court last night playing with four of the league's top players.

His defense is OK, they've bomb proofed him. On defense his feet on the floor make sense to the play and his assignment. He is watching the game less and being part of the team more.

He needs more minutes as this will allow him to "help run the floor."
Yes, that is what I meant. He has the passing chops of a point guard. When the ball is coming to him he is already picking whom he will pass to.

On the court, Smart is endlessly chirping at Robert and whipping the ball at him and it is working.

On the bright side, Robert looks great around the rim on offense.

He remains a foul machine, but, at least it's two fouls in 14 minutes instead of 3.

[footey]

Robert needs minutes.

Since Dec 2, 2019 (10 games)

MPG 13
Fouls per game 2.5
PPG 6.3
Blks/gm 1.2
Rebs/gm 4.6

He has to play. He has 10 mpg in 59 appearances in his two years.

He plays with Smart and the "starters" a lot of late. Smart gets him into game the minute he gets on the court with ooops and lazer passes.

Keep in mind, Robert was on the court last night playing with four of the league's top players.

His defense is OK, they've bomb proofed him. On defense his feet on the floor make sense to the play and his assignment. He is watching the game less and being part of the team more.

He needs more minutes as this will allow him to "help run the floor."
Yes, that is what I meant. He has the passing chops of a point guard. When the ball is coming to him he is already picking whom he will pass to.

On the court, Smart is endlessly chirping at Robert and whipping the ball at him and it is working.

On the bright side, Robert looks great around the rim on offense.

He remains a foul machine, but, at least it's two fouls in 14 minutes instead of 3.

Last 3 games he has kept his fouls down due to greater discipline. No longer a foul machine.

[rollie mass]

Robert Williams minght have got one hours run with Red Claws .His rookie year was learning to travel ,to practice and say the right things. .He was young and immature and the Celtics got him a life coach. This was a brilliant idea by management and getting him situated a stones throw from practice facility.
It was like a red shirted year.
He got to watch Horford and Jason and Jaylen and Gordon put in the effort
.I was so impressed with his attempt to play positionally and stay down  and even his attempts on blocking those small quards were more measured and his unhurried in control closeouts.It didn't work all the time but they earned there baskets.

.A tectonic shift was of course hyperbole but it was so dramatic to me, After his flying and flailing  around maxing every leaping opportunity. I also feared a catastrophic injury coming down in a crowd

This year he had a crew around him and he wasn't a rookie because he had that years experience  travelling with the team. Just watching the games. Playing time wise he was a rookie in his 2nd year.
 
What a luxury to have the time to bring him along slowly
I think it takes Time(ha ha).Marcus struggled ,Jaylen was one dimensional and raw but Jason had Drew Hanlon and Bradley Beal. Talent and work and coaching.
Nice pick Danny!!!!
A TP back at yah Footey.

[Roy H.]

I thought he was starting to be really useful until his injury.  Looks like he’s building on that now.

I feel pretty good about him as a backup center if Kanter leaves.

Timelord at this rate should start. Or by next season

There is nothing Theis can do better except shoot the 3 and a few years of experience

i agree .   Timey has the skills ,  he just needs the court minutes ,  playing quality minutes to hone his game , gain confidense , and learn to manage his fouls better .   The court time and touchs is mostly what he needs.

I wouldn’t start him any time soon.  For perspective, Theis is averaging 9 / 7.  Williams has one game of at least 9 / 7 in his career.

On a minutes basis, Williams is probably averaging a lot more than Theis in bubble.  Even on per game basis last three games (the only 3 he played meaningful minutes) RW has probably averaged more per game than Theis, even with significantly fewer minutes. Plus his efficiency is off the charts.  What has he only missed one shot the last 3 games and perfect from the foul line?

While Theis will start the rest of this season and playoffs, I expect we will see Williams' minutes increase as his conditioning improves. Next season is anyone's guess, but I would not bet against Williams becoming a starter then. Brad started him opening night this season v Philly. But he just wasn't ready. Now that he staying away from foul trouble, minutes should increase.

The chemistry is too good with Theis I think.  But, if Kanter opts our, it gives us a guy who can step in and play 24 minutes without a huge downgrade.