Why The Upcoming Celtics Season Might Be The Timelord’s Time

https://www.forbes.com/sites/hunterfelt/2019/09/25/why-the-upcoming-celtics-season-might-be-the-timelords-time/?ss=cio-network#3cab9a473c2f



Why The Upcoming Celtics Season Might Be The Timelord’s Time




Hunter Felt
Contributor




Robert Williams of the Boston Celtics unleashes a tremendous dunk against the Brooklyn Nets on January 7, 2019 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NBAE VIA GETTY IMAGES




After falling into the Boston Celtics’ lap in the 2018 NBA Draft, Robert Williams III found himself something of an afterthought. For much of the 2018-19 season, the Boston Celtics were daydreaming of bringing back a core featuring Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, Jayson Tatum and maybe even adding Anthony Davis to the mix. The talented young big man was a long-term project, not expected to contribute much in the near future.

What happened to those big plans? Well, the New Orleans Pelicans traded Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers instead, dashing their biggest dream. After Irving left for the Brooklyn Nets, recruiting Kevin Durant in the process, Horford decided it would make more sense to join the Philadelphia 76ers for a bigger paycheck and a better chance at winning his first championship than sticking around. Horford’s departure left the Celtics with a hole at the big man position. While the Celtics signed Enes Kanter to the midlevel exception with the idea of being the nominal starter, he’s almost exclusively an offensive player, and won’t come close to replacing everything that Horford did for the team on the defensive end. This means that Boston will have to play other, more defensive-minded bigs for longer stretches than they otherwise would have needed to.

The Celtics, to their credit, have prepared for this possibility. They re-signed Daniel Theis, while adding France’s Vincent Poirier and towering undrafted free agent Tacko Fall into the mix, although neither of the last two are guaranteed spots on the final roster. There’s also a good chance that first-round draft pick Grant Williams could see some time playing at the five, despite being a natural power forward. They are giving themselves a lot of options because they honestly don’t quite know who if anybody will step up, but there’s bound to be some in the organization who believe that Robert Williams III could end up playing a significant role by the end of the season.

As is often the case with rookies playing on stacked teams, Williams didn’t get much of a chance to show what he was capable last year. Williams spent much of his time with the G League Maine Red Claws, playing just 32 games with the main club where he averaged 2.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and (most impressively) 1.2 blocks per game. While he wasn’t much of a factor on the offensive end, his scoring was mostly limited to crowd-pleasing dunks, he became an instant fan favorite for his rim-protecting abilities and his (reluctantly accepted) nickname Timelord.

The good news is that the second year is the time when most young NBA players, particularly non-lottery picks, start to make their presence known. It will also help Williams’s case that there were players ahead of him on the depth chart last season who won’t be back this year. As mentioned before, Horford is in Philadelphia. The team traded Aron Baynes to the Phoenix Suns to have the flexibility to sign Kemba Walker in free agency and then cut Guershon Yabusele during Las Vegas Summer League. Because of this, the next edition of the Celtics looks poised to be distressing small. During those times when Boston will need to throw someone out who could go against other team’s centers, the 6’10” Williams has just the natural skills to be put up against them in a head-to-head matchup.

It’s not likely that Williams will necessarily be a rotation-type player next year but he will get an opportunity to prove himself to be a useful player on the NBA level. Given the fact that Williams was projected as a lottery-level player during his first stint at Texas A&M, Williams certainly has the talent to prove himself capable if given that chance, which means the 2019-20 season could just end up being the Timelord’s time.


bob



.

I hope its his time. R Williams is the type of big this team needs to compete at a higher level IMO.

I'd add that he needs to be a part of the rotation as well. Or perhaps I should say, a big with his skill-set does. Especially the defensive abilities.

Love his athleticism

His growth is a key factor in the team’s success this year....