The Boston Celtics are inching back to having a fully available roster after several games were postponed last week due to the number of their players out injured or in the NBA’s health and safety protocol for positive COVID-19 diagnoses or contact tracing.
Starting point guard Kemba Walker made his season debut with the team in a 105 – 75 blowout loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday, and head coach Brad Stevens revealed that not only did the UConn product respond well to his first live-game action in months, but that big man Robert Williams III was likely to return from an extended absence due to COVID-19.
Boston Celtics week 5 power rankings: Kemba Walker's return https://t.co/oMjh0JStbt via @thecelticswire
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 19, 2021
“[Kemba was] responding great in in practice,” offered Stevens when asked how the New Yorker was feeling after his first game back from a long ramp-up period.
“Robert practiced today, He’ll travel with us. I don’t know if there’s another step he needs to make to be okay to play, but I would say he’s likely to play,” he elaborated. “Carsen [Edwards] and Jayson [Tatum] will not be traveling.”
While it remains unclear exactly what Edwards’ status is regard to a COVID-19 diagnosis, Tatum has been reported to have tested positive with an asymptomatic case.
WATCH: Did Celtics’ Kemba Walker come back too quickly vs. Knicks? https://t.co/oj0fSEhhpl
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 19, 2021
It remains plausible that the Duke product could conceivably join the team for their second game of an away mini-series with the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, the first of the two contests falling on Wednesday and too soon for tatum’s recovery timetable.
The Celtic coach also confirmed there’d been no news of a postponement for the Wednesday game with the Sixers struggling with their own contact tracing issues in recent days.
[jwplayer 9SuMF9BF]
[lawrence-related id=45676,45667,45662,45658]
[listicle id=45679]