Tag: Robert Williams

Would trading Marcus Smart and Time Lord for Clint Capela make sense?

Would it make sense dealing Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III for the Atlanta Hawks’ Clint Capela?

The Boston Celtics might be bored, but they aren’t bored enough to trade veteran guard Marcus Smart away for a pittance.

Bleacher Report has been helping us all stay engaged with our favorite sport by running a fantasy basketball league where their staff take on the role of various front offices, simulating the 2020-21 NBA season to come.

And much has been truly thoughtful, even Danny Ainge-worthy moves executed by the various franchises being mocked.

But, if one big move actually went down, it’d have been through someone putting the Trader Danny clamps on Ainge himself, because the deal would almost certainly never happen in the real world.

The imaginary trade in question would have seen Boston send out not only Smart but also big man Rob Williams for now-Atlanta Hawk center Clint Capela.

If, as many analysts assumed at the start of the 2019-20 season, there was a clear need at the five for the Celtics, the deal would possibly make sense.

With that in mind, let’s look at the big-for-big component of this deal to start.

Neither Capela nor Williams are especially great at defending the perimeter or switching onto smaller, faster players. Both have shown issues with conditioning and health, but Williams is at least younger and a much cheaper bargain at just $2 million next season and $3.6 the next.

The Celtics, as cap enthusiasts are aware, are about to get very expensive with Jayson Tatum extension-eligible this offseason — particularly if veteran forward Gordon Hayward opts into the final year of his current deal.

Next season is Boston’s most likely shot at a championship until the older players on the roster finish their deals or are otherwise out of the picture, and center Daniel Theis has proven a very capable starter for the Celtics, on the books next season for another bargain at $5 million.

Now, let’s look at Smart.

A legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate who can defend both fast, quick players and big, lumbering centers, he has also proven a crucial part of the team’s adaptability and has been a driver of the chemistry behind 2019-20’s success.

Would the team really be any better off just dealing the Texan for Capela?

While the former Houston Rocket was by all measures a starter-worthy big, he’s proven nearly unplayable against some teams in the postseason, does 120% of what Williams offers at roughly ten times the price, and doesn’t really move the needle whatsoever on raising ceilings.

With all that said, this deal is D.O.A. with The Celtics Wire — though we appreciate the thought experiment to ruminate on just the same.

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Brad Stevens: Robert Williams ‘may’ play against Rockets

Robert Williams III can be a difference-maker for the Boston Celtics when they face the Houston Rockets.

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.”

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.

Injury update: Walker likely OUT vs. HOU; Timelord cleared to play

Boston Celtics starting point guard Kemba Walker will likely not play against the Houston Rockets Saturday, but long-waylaid reserve center Robert Williams III has been cleared to return.

With the good news, some bad.

Boston Celtics starting point guard Kemba Walker did not practice with the team today, and is unlikely to play in Boston’s Saturday evening rematch with the Houston Rockets, reports NBC Sports’ Chris Forsberg.

Walker has been resting a sore knee that required drainage after an extended stint in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, and his absence will be significant for a Celtics team itching to even the score against the new-look “Pocket” Rockets.

However, Boston will have an unexpected boost with reserve center Robert Williams III having been cleared to return to action for the game, reports the Athletic’s Jay King.

While he’s likely not in game shape after such a long absence — taken to heal a severely bruised hip — he should be able to help spell Daniel Theis more effectively than big man Enes Kanter, who is not a good fit against this lightening-quick, ultra-mall Houston iteration.

Head coach Brad Stevens relates he’ll play only a few minutes in his first games back, per the team.

Ultimately, postseason health matters so much more for a team doing as well as Boston has of late.

So, the scratch for the UConn product should be unsurprising if a bit concerning considering that while this has happened to Walker in the past, it’s also never caused him to miss so many games.

Conversely, it’s almost equally positive news today on the injury front given Timelord has been out since Dec. 9.

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Robert Williams is returning to his high-flying ways in practice

Boston Celtics big man Robert Williams is a high flyer who leaps for dunks and blocks

Boston Celtics big man Robert Williams has been back at practice since last week, and he hasn’t been shy about displaying one of the best attributes: his athleticism.

According to MassLive.com’s Tom Westerholm, Williams dunked on teammate Grant Williams during a recent practice. A second-year player out of Texas A&M, Robert Williams has been out since Dec. 9 with a hip injury. Before missing time to injury, Williams had played in 19 games, scoring 3.9 points per game and grabbing 4.6 rebounds per game.

As one of the Celtics’ best high-flyers, Williams has thrown down 18 dunks this season, per Basketball Reference. He slammed 26 dunks last season in 32 games.

“He’s dunking at like 13 feet right now so he looks fine by my non-medical eyes,” Brad Stevens said, per Westerholm. “But it’s all about the scan at the end of the week. If ramping him up has provided no increase in issues, then he’s ready to go. If the scan doesn’t look good we’re back to square one.”

Per Westerholm, Williams is slated to be evaluated at the end of this week. Stevens said if Williams doesn’t experience any problems, then he’ll be cleared to play.

The Celtics will finish their four-game road trip Wednesday against the Utah Jazz, with tip off set for 10:30 p.m. EST.

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Injury report: Jaylen Brown a gametime decision vs. Clippers, updates on Time Lord

Robert Williams’ return to the court appears imminent.

The Boston Celtics are preparing to play their last game before the All-Star Break and Celtics wing Jaylen Brown has long let it be known that, despite recent injuries to his ankles and calf, he wants to tough it out and play against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Per the Celtics, Brown will be a gametime decision against the Clippers after working out during the shootaround; the fourth-year pro will test out his calf prior to tip-off at 8 p.m (ET). Having a career season, Brown’s availability may be all but necessary for Boston to take down the Clippers, a team stacked with talent.

Aside from Brown, there have also been updates on the injury status of second-year center Robert Williams III.

The “Time Lord” is expected to work out with the Celtics for their first post-All Star Break practice, which will be next Wednesday (per NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg).

“Then they’ll just build him up for the next 10 days,” says Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, “and hopefully give him the green light after that.”

Earlier in the day, team president and general manager Danny Ainge said that the team expects Williams back around March 1.

“He’s excited and enthusiastic. He’s moving in the right direction.”

Williams had been diagnosed with a bone edema, a buildup of fluid around a bone that can occur as the result of a stress fracture or arthritis, in his left hip on December 16.

Report: Robert Williams, Romeo Langford OUT vs. Pacers; Marcus Smart questionable

The Boston Celtics slowly lurch towards health ahead of Wednesday night’s match against the Indiana Pacers with Robert Williams (hip) and Romeo Langford (ankle) out, and Marcus Smart (eye) questionable.

The Boston Celtics play their first game of a away-home back-to-back at the Indiana Pacers, and they’ll do it without Robert Williams III and Indiana native Romeo Langford.

The Texas A&M product has been dealing with a sore left hip that also kept him out of Monday night’s shellacking of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Langford, while poised to return from a sprained ankle, isn’t quite ready to resume basketball activities just yet.

Defensive menace Marcus Smart is listed as “questionable” after also missing the Cavaliers game due to an eye infection, with both he and Langford beset with a seemingly endless list of minor maladies so far this season.

The Texan guard has been able to power through most of his issues, save a re-injury of obliques which saw him miss a stretch of games last season.

The hit, sustained against the New York Knicks on Dec. 1, forced the Oklahoma State product to sit a single game against the Miami Heat, only to see his body demand more time off with the eye infection at hand after a short return vs. the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 6.

Langford has only logged a single minute with the parent club as much from his own cavalcade of injuries as his inexperience, the Indianapolis native even having a hard time staying healthy to log significant minutes with Boston’s G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.

The Indiana product will travel with the team despite being unable to play, reports NBC Sports’ A. Sherrod Blakely, who will have a small army in attendance to support Langford’s team even though he won’t be dressing.

“It’ll be good, just to be back. I haven’t been back home in a while,” offered the oft-injured rookie.

No word on whether Smart, Boston’s longest-tenured player, will make the trip, but it may be wiser to take another game off to give his banged-up body a bit of a breather.

With All-Star forward Gordon Hayward returning to form and a potential revenge game against the Philadelphia 76ers looming the next evening at TD Garden, it’s possible Smart will rest against the weaker of the two opponents in order to save his energy for Thursday’s tilt.

In his first game back, the Butler product looked to be at the high level of play he was showing before breaking his hand in early November, and with the Jay Team (as wings Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are called) continuing to shine, the Pacers should be a challenging but winnable matchup.

Injury report: Daniel Theis, Robert Williams III listed as probable vs. Warriors

The Boston Celtics may not have to worry about the Golden State Warriors dominating in the paint but the return of centers Daniel Theis and Robert Williams III is timely nonetheless.

The Boston Celtics were vulnerable on the interior without centers Daniel Theis and Robert Williams — possibly their two best players at the position — when they faced the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, a game that the Celtics would win but surrender 133 points in.

64 of those points, nearly half of the total, came in the paint.

Fortunately for Boston, both Theis and Williams look as if they’ll be available for the Celtics when they face off against the (Splash Brother-less) Golden State Warriors on Friday. Boston has held opponents to just 44.2 points in the paint per game (ranked seventh in the NBA, per NBA Advanced Stats) largely behind the defense of Theis and Williams.

Though neither have been officially cleared, both spoke to reporters prior to Friday’s game to confirm their playing status.

Theis, who dislocated his pinky three times against the Dallas Mavericks, will be wearing a special splint (per MassLive’s John Karalis).

The duo are averaged a combined 3.7 blocks per game while Theis is holding opponents to 4.8 percent below their field goal percentage on shots fewer than six feet from the rim and Williams is holding opponents to 2.7 percent below their field goal percentage on shots fewer than six from the rim.

With only 39.6 percent of Golden State’s points coming in the paint, ranked 27th in the NBA, the Celtics were unlikely to have been dominated inside by the Warriors but without sharpshooters Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson available (and lockdown defender Marcus Smart sticking to D’Angelo Russell’s ribs like a home cooked meal), Golden State may be forced to find most of their offense from forward Eric Paschall.

Per Basketball Reference, 47.7 percent of Paschall’s 15.5 points per game have come in the paint this season.