Bam vs Time Lord

[footey]

I watched a lot of video of Bam. He's a good modern NBA center.  Physically, he has very similar body to Rob; both about the same height. Bam is a little heavier and stronger, Rob is quicker, better jumper and longer wingspan.

Both are good passers.

Bam is better than Rob now, primarily because he has gotten a lot more game reps, experience.  Rob is still quite raw in his actual NBA floor experience. So he is more prone to making mistakes.  This was the early lament about Jaylen Brown his first two years in the league as well.

I do not expect Rob to match up well vs Bam this series, but mostly because (i) Brad has short leash with Rob, especially on defensive rotations, (ii) Theis plays very well with starters, and (iii) Grant is a decent short stint small ball option.

If Rob can stay healthy, I see him emerging as the equal to, or better than, Bam, because he is a physically more talented athlete.  Rob has decent BBIQ, you can see it when he reads the floor on offense. He just needs more experience learning the defensive rotations.

This series will be a great opportunity for Rob to show the world what we already know: A budding NBA modern center for the Boston Celtics.

[droopdog7]

Bam is not better than Rob mostly because he's gotten more reps.  Bam is already an all star.  Expecting Rob to be as good as Bam is now (never mind surpassing him) will bring nothing but disappointed. 

The one thing they have in common is similar build and athleticism.  But these kinds of guys are more common than you think.

Bam is a very good playmaker and has a motor like no other.  These are skills, not just things that you can turn off and on.  The odds that Williams ever becomes an all-star are not very good.

[footey]

Bam is not better than Rob mostly because he's gotten more reps.  Bam is already an all star.  Expecting Rob to be as good as Bam is now (never mind surpassing him) will bring nothing but disappointed. 

The one thing they have in common is similar build and athleticism.  But these kinds of guys are more common than you think.

Bam is a very good playmaker and has a motor like no other.  These are skills, not just things that you can turn off and on.  The odds that Williams ever becomes an all-star are not very good.

Time will tell, but I don't see any physical or mental skill that Bam posesses that Rob does not as well.  Bam's first season not statistically impressive. He began improvement 2nd season, but Rob missed most of 2nd season so can't compare.  Bam really emerged his 3rd season. 16/10/5.  Rob may not post those numbers because his team has more scoring depth than Heat.

I think Rob has the same ability play making wise.  And never heard anyone criticize Rob's motor, so that seems like a weird distinction.

[libermaniac]

Bam is not better than Rob mostly because he's gotten more reps.  Bam is already an all star.  Expecting Rob to be as good as Bam is now (never mind surpassing him) will bring nothing but disappointed. 

The one thing they have in common is similar build and athleticism.  But these kinds of guys are more common than you think.

Bam is a very good playmaker and has a motor like no other.  These are skills, not just things that you can turn off and on.  The odds that Williams ever becomes an all-star are not very good.

Time will tell, but I don't see any physical or mental skill that Bam posesses that Rob does not as well.  Bam's first season not statistically impressive. He began improvement 2nd season, but Rob missed most of 2nd season so can't compare.  Bam really emerged his 3rd season. 16/10/5.  Rob may not post those numbers because his team has more scoring depth than Heat.

I think Rob has the same ability play making wise.  And never heard anyone criticize Rob's motor, so that seems like a weird distinction.

I'd say Bam's footwook is light years ahead of Rob's, which makes all the difference in the world.  For a guy who is so freakishly athletic, like Rob, he does not possess quick feet. That limits his upside.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

The Bam motor thing I don't completely agree with. He played with great motor against the Bucks, but I've tuned into a number of Heat games (playoffs and not) throughout the years and been unimpressed with his effort level. Maybe he is the type of player who can turn it on and off, but I'm not sure I'd call that a good motor.

Rob definitely has some court vision for passing like Bam, but what no one (except the Heat?) saw was the way Bam would develop a comfort handling the ball. He brings the ball up the court quite a bit and initiates the offense. Many of the plays he is involved in are similar to the Celtics' sets with high DHOs, pnrs, and swinging the ball, but Bam has develop a few 1-3 dribble moves, spins, and even the occasional eurostep. His offensive versatility is continuing to grow.

Rob has never demonstrated these yet in a game. I think he is far more satisfied to be a distributor and rim-runner. Honestly, that's probably the kind of big man we want, because we want the ball in Tatum, Brown, Hayward, and Walker's hands to make plays.

Defensively, both have a lot of mental lapses. Bam has grown in this and is much better than Rob, but watching many of their games have made me question how good of a defender he actually is. Rob still has a ways to go in his rotations, but has demonstrated some encouraging signs throughout the playoffs. I think Rob is a little better defending pull-ups and mid-range because ball-handlers don't really realize how long and quick off his feet he is. Bam has also demonstrated a lot more consistency on switches against all kinds of scorers.

I agree with other posters that expecting Rob to be as good as Bam in this series or even if his career is probably setting yourself up for disappointment. A better question is whether or not he can hold his own against players like Bam and contribute to the team winning over Bam's team. I mean, if we can win the matchups against 3-4 of the starters, and Rob becomes the starter at center and can hold his own, then we will win many games.

[droopdog7]

I am fairly certain that Bam is known for his high motor.  And for the earlier poster, I never said I questioned Rob's motor.  But having a high motor is still better than having an "undistinguished" motor.

[footey]

Bam is not better than Rob mostly because he's gotten more reps.  Bam is already an all star.  Expecting Rob to be as good as Bam is now (never mind surpassing him) will bring nothing but disappointed. 

The one thing they have in common is similar build and athleticism.  But these kinds of guys are more common than you think.

Bam is a very good playmaker and has a motor like no other.  These are skills, not just things that you can turn off and on.  The odds that Williams ever becomes an all-star are not very good.

Time will tell, but I don't see any physical or mental skill that Bam posesses that Rob does not as well.  Bam's first season not statistically impressive. He began improvement 2nd season, but Rob missed most of 2nd season so can't compare.  Bam really emerged his 3rd season. 16/10/5.  Rob may not post those numbers because his team has more scoring depth than Heat.

I think Rob has the same ability play making wise.  And never heard anyone criticize Rob's motor, so that seems like a weird distinction.

I'd say Bam's footwook is light years ahead of Rob's, which makes all the difference in the world.  For a guy who is so freakishly athletic, like Rob, he does not possess quick feet. That limits his upside.

Doesn't possess quick feet?   Disagree, in fact quicker than Bam. Look, I like Bam a lot, but in terms of athleticism, Rob is superior.  Bam is a better player right now, but I postulate that is due mostly to having more game experience than Rob. He has an extra season, and less games missed due to injury.  If Rob stays healthy, I expect him to develop into the equal of Bam, and that he can outplay him head to head, because he is physically superior. I just don't expect it this soon.

Here's a prediction though: Rob will block Bam's shot more than Bam will block Rob's, during this series.

[wiley]

Bam is thicker and harder to move.  An all star.  A great player with a great motor. 

Robert just started playing some decent minutes...like yesterday...Robert is hope.  Bam is established.

[footey]

The Bam motor thing I don't completely agree with. He played with great motor against the Bucks, but I've tuned into a number of Heat games (playoffs and not) throughout the years and been unimpressed with his effort level. Maybe he is the type of player who can turn it on and off, but I'm not sure I'd call that a good motor.

Rob definitely has some court vision for passing like Bam, but what no one (except the Heat?) saw was the way Bam would develop a comfort handling the ball. He brings the ball up the court quite a bit and initiates the offense. Many of the plays he is involved in are similar to the Celtics' sets with high DHOs, pnrs, and swinging the ball, but Bam has develop a few 1-3 dribble moves, spins, and even the occasional eurostep. His offensive versatility is continuing to grow.

Rob has never demonstrated these yet in a game. I think he is far more satisfied to be a distributor and rim-runner. Honestly, that's probably the kind of big man we want, because we want the ball in Tatum, Brown, Hayward, and Walker's hands to make plays.

Defensively, both have a lot of mental lapses. Bam has grown in this and is much better than Rob, but watching many of their games have made me question how good of a defender he actually is. Rob still has a ways to go in his rotations, but has demonstrated some encouraging signs throughout the playoffs. I think Rob is a little better defending pull-ups and mid-range because ball-handlers don't really realize how long and quick off his feet he is. Bam has also demonstrated a lot more consistency on switches against all kinds of scorers.

I agree with other posters that expecting Rob to be as good as Bam in this series or even if his career is probably setting yourself up for disappointment. A better question is whether or not he can hold his own against players like Bam and contribute to the team winning over Bam's team. I mean, if we can win the matchups against 3-4 of the starters, and Rob becomes the starter at center and can hold his own, then we will win many games.

Well reasoned analysis.  The ball handling advantage of Bam is a very fair point, one that I neglected to mention. But like you, I think by design Rob is discouraged from bringing the ball up by Brad.  TP.

[GreenFaith1819]

Well, Embiid was supposed to single-handedly man-handle us, so................

Bam is a quality player and an All-Star but we've already faced one of the best Bigs this playoffs.

Bam will be a load but if BOS does what it's supposed to do we'll manage.

I trust our platoon of Bigs (Williams, Williams, Theis and even Kanter).

[Vermont Green]

Robert Williams is coming along nicely and has made some contributions to our playoff run.  That is all great.  But until he develops some offense other than a dunk, he will continue to be limited.  For this series, if he can give us 10-15 minutes of good defense and rebounding with a dunk or two, that could make a big difference for us.  That is all we need.  He is not going to give us what Bam gives to the heat, nor should anyone expect it.

And rebounding, yes, it would be nice if he grabs an offensive rebound or two to give us additional positions but more important, he keeps his man from getting any ORebs.

[Tr1boy]

Timelord is going to swat Bam ball into Heat area of the court

get that garbage out of here!

[jambr380]

I like Bam a lot and was really high on him even before the season started, but I think those expecting big things from him will be disappointed. We have 3 of the top 4 players in this series, as I believe Brown and Kemba are a level ahead of him (Tatum #1, Butler #2). In terms of impact, I'd even say it is a toss-up between Smart and Bam...and this doesn't even include getting Hayward back.

Miami's shooters/bench are where we really need to watch out. We may have more top-end talent, but their role players have been deadly.

As for Williams vs Bam - I am not ready to go there. I love TL, but we should be happy if he is putting in successful 10-15 minutes stints each game at this point. Theis will have his hands full and I can't wait to see how he responds defensively.