While Jayson Tatum has taken Bostonians by storm with his recent play, nothing will stop fans from wanting to see Boston Celtics second-year center Robert Williams III — dubbed the “Time Lord” last season — play as many minutes as possible.
After the explosive big man was cleared to return to the court on Friday, fans may not have to wait too long to see him suit up. Per Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, Williams may play against the Houston Rockets on Saturday (February 29), pointing out how his mobility will help the team against the small-ball Rockets.
“Rob’s a pretty mobile guy,” says Stevens. “He can move with guards and wings, so he may get some minutes tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes.”
Brad Stevens on whether Rob Williams could play against smallball Houston team: "Rob’s a pretty mobile guy. He can move with guards and wings, so he may get some minutes tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes."
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) February 28, 2020
Houston doesn’t utilize a traditional center, opting instead to have players like 6’5″ forward PJ Tucker and 6’8″ forward Jeff Green man the pivot.
It was seen as a radical move by many but, in practice, the idea isn’t as novel as it seems with teams like the Golden State Warriors playing without a traditional center in their dangerous “Death Lineup” over the last few seasons. Before the Warriors, teams like the Miami Heat of the LeBron Era used power forwards like Chris Bosh as a center and the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns often had power forward Amare’ Stoudemire playing center.
That said, Mike D’Antoni — the Rockets’ head coach — also coached those Suns teams, so he’s not an old dog learning new tricks but an old dog using his old tricks with a new spin.
Williams, whose athletic ability is arguably the best on the team, could help Boston tremendously as he’ll put pressure on the small Houston lineup to gang rebound and defend the rim. Furthermore, as Stevens notes, Williams will do relatively well staying in front of the Rockets perimeter players.
He’s not going to be expected to stop a driving Russell Westbrook or slashing James Harden every time down but he should make it harder for them to convert shots while having the speed to keep up with the teams frontcourt players.
Having missed the team’s last 37 games, Williams conditioning shouldn’t be expected to be in what’s considered midseason form, and that could limit the amount he’s able to play. However, in a game where Enes Kanter may not be very useful due to the speed of the players, Williams is the next best option next to Daniel Theis for a team such as the Rockets when healthy.