What can RWilliams do?

He's got length, he did some things in the tournament, he dropped in the draft to the Celtics?\.
Did anybody watch him in college?

I assume he can play help defense, but can he do it in a disciplined way?
Does he go for shot fakes?
Does he hold his position in the post?
Can he really cover guards outside?
Can he block shots without fouling, particularly pros who can provide mis-direction and decide late how to proceed?
Will he run ahead of other big men on the fast break?
Will the Celtics fast break?

Williams has the size and hops that I'd like to see on our line-up, but I don't know how long it will be until he can compete. He looks very young, and I just don't know if he has that something that can make a young player effective. Maybe it really will be a year plus of G-league.

He is raw and a project, a work in progress, probably why he fell to us. Having said all that, he has legit upside, athleticism and attributes that need to be developed/harnessed. We can help him leading to him helping us, not expecting too much early, maybe he’ll surprised us, glad we have a young big with his skill set/upside. We have so much offense, all we need is some additional defense and rebounding which he should be able to provide.

Thanks for starting this thread, especially with an original statement of the topic, Hat.  You are already making an impact on this board.

As far as this year goes I think Williams will have limited impact, unless we lose a big (i.e. Horford, Baynes or Theis) for an extended period due to injury.  I think he should find the best burger and pizza places in Portland, since that's where he going to be most of this season.  Will he even be medically cleared by camp?  That's why I thought he dropped all the way to us, he got flagged by NBA doctors like Sully was.  He has been dealing with tendonitis in his left knee, a condition one finds in young bigs as their bones grow faster than the supporting soft tissue (paging Dr. Worcester, Dr. Heckler, Dr. Worcester!) which kept him out of Vegas summer league, and may need surgery on both legs for popliteal artery entrapment syndrome.


bob


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TheHat

This is an excellent topic to discuss.

What Williams can do and what he will do is divided by the unknown.

I watched a ton of film on Williams.  He has the athletic profile that fills a need on this team that we do not have.  He projects out to a player that can defend at both the 4/5 positions.  His 7' 5" wingspan provides the length to block shots and rebound out of his own space.  He has hops and plays way above the rim at both ends.  The additional ability to get up off the floor reflects a quick trigger.  He doesn't just jump well, he jumps fast.  I have watched him recover from defensive mistakes and I have seem him play man on man defense all the way out to the perimeter.  That is a tough thing to do for a big but he is agile and quick enough to do that.  He appears to be a very good help defender that covers ground quickly to challenge shots.  He runs the floor very well and can pass the ball.  His jump shot is an afterthought at this point and he will need to work on that extensively.  Boston has excellent length 1-3 but lacked length 4-5.  Williams fills a need there.  As a freshman, Williams was named defensive player of the year in the SEC and won that award for a second time this past season.  Danny drafted him because of his defensive acumen and offensive potential as a rim running big and lob target.

We may not see much of this.  The Celtics have depth so Williams would need to fight for any measure of rotation minutes.  As Bob points out he is not 100% healthy and may require surgery to correct his popliteal artery entrapment syndrome.  The condition is not one that should impact his long term career but we really do not know if he will incur periodic issues.  Boston tried to manage the Sullinger back issue but in the end they had to shut him down during the season.  The other issue is one dealing with maturity or the lack thereof.  Williams will need to grow up fast mentality and take responsibility seriously.  The great thing is that the Celtics have several mentors on this team that can help him if he is willing to follow their lead.

I believe getting a player at his position and talent level was a real gift at #27.  Despite the depth I mentioned, Boston really needs a player with his particular set of skills.  I hope he does well.

Just don’t see him getting many minutes here (in Boston) at least any meaningful minutes.  

If he does then that means those ahead of him are either hurt or perhaps worse...... ineffective.

Red Claws are a step above most of the competition he’s faced to date, will be interesting to see if he can “Claw” his way up the peeking order.

beat

For some reason, I think that this kid is going to find more playing time this year than most board members believe. Perhaps it is just blind faith, a guess out of the blue or maybe just wishful thinking.

I believe that he is going to play enough good defense early in the year to earn about 10 minutes per game.  Then he will find a way to score a little bit which will increase his playing time to about 15 per game by the middle of the season.

wideclyde wrote:For some reason, I think that this kid is going to find more playing time this year than most board members believe. Perhaps it is just blind faith, a guess out of the blue or maybe just wishful thinking.

I believe that he is going to play good enough good defense early in the year to earn about 10 minutes per game.  Then he will find a way to score a little bit which will increase his playing time to about 15 per game by the middle of the season.

Wide,

Agreed.

Saw just enough of him last year to believe he was an excellent pick at that late spot. Kid can board and defend, and that's exactly what's needed out of him. I think he was an NBA level talent already last year. I'm guessing your 10 minutes-per estimate is not out of reach.

Don't see him going to The Claws. I still believe G-League is an admission a player has questionable NBA potential, and a team is hoping to light a spark. I think they'll make every effort to keep him in Boston from the start.

Regards

Wide and NYCelt, I'd like to see what you suggest from him. 10-15 mins/game without being an obvious negative would be just fine.

The physical attributes dboss listed and his remarkably quick feet , showing on the perimeter and getting back to guard the rim, indicate that he may get more playing time than anticipated. The way Stevens plays match-ups, a guy can sit three games and then play 30 minutes (I' m thinking Martin/Monroe), albeit that being easier to do with veteran players. If he approaches the job like a pro, I could see Williams becoming a useful player pretty quickly, at least situationally.

He’s gonna be our Dennis Rodman

cowens/oldschool wrote:He’s gonna be our Dennis Rodman

Without the facial piercings, I hope. I doubt he'll rebound like Rodman because few people have that kind of tenacity. He may turn out to be a better defender because of his superior size and knack for weak side help blocks. I' d take a career anywhere close to Rodman's, though. Hopefully without the histrionics.

Chris Forsberg
Chris Forsberg @ESPNForsberg
yesterday
Brad Stevens on Celtics rookie Robert Williams: "He’s been really, really active here in the offseason. Since the rookie transition program has basically been in Boston. Been working really hard and I’m really encouraged by what I’ve seen so far."



bob


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jrleftfoot wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:He’s gonna be our Dennis Rodman

Without the facial piercings, I hope. I doubt he'll rebound like Rodman because few people have that kind of tenacity. He may turn out to be a better defender because of his superior size and knack for weak side help blocks. I' d take a career anywhere close to Rodman's, though. Hopefully without the histrionics.

Agreed I meant in impact and role on team, not the weirdness....

I think he’s gonna get more PT than people think, the big issue will be durability. I always pull for defensive role players....not like bob Heckler.

Brad seems to always have positive things to say about his players.

If the kid is working hard he will get a chance to play. He will be surrounded by very skilled players and will have a great opportunity to be special.

We did not see much of him during the Summer League and I am anxious to see how he plays during pre-season.

If Brad is not able to play him much he will do a stint or two up in Maine. The regular season does not provide a lot of practice time so it is very important for active players to play. The G-league will help immensely.

If Boston opens with a small lineup (KI, JB, GH, JT and AH) and Brad prefers that lineup, Williams will see less minutes. However, if Boston Starts Baynes and Horford, Williams will be the logical backup.

Jason Tatum may come off the bench with Rozier, Smart, Morris and Williams.

Until we see how things work out we can only speculate.

Nice problem to have. A very deep and diverse rotation.

I hope Williams exceeds expectations because I think we're going to need him when we face Embiid, Davis, other offensively dominant centers, especially in combination with an elite power forward. I like Baynes, but he can't do it all night and behind him, we are not big. Horford and Theis like to play pf; I know they can do play bigger in a pinch, but we will be pinched in the playoffs. In the Bucks series last season, the way a shot blocker can affect the game was apparent when Maker was subbed in and shut off the layups. I love the players on our team, but IMO we need more in the middle. I know J&J are bound to be better, and KI and Hayward are back: nearly all the ingredients are there to go all the way. Hawk

bob


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Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
about 6 hours ago
Robert Williams said he's progressing from his knee tendinitis but he hasn't been cleared for 5-on-5 activity. Training camp begins in less than three weeks. #Celtics



A. Sherrod Blakely
A. Sherrod Blakely @ASherrodblakely
about 6 hours ago
Robert Williams had lots of praise for the way #Celtics Brad Stevens has worked with him. “He’s one of the most hands-on coaches I ever worked with,” Williams said, adding that Stevens did bike conditioning with him earlier today.


Jay King
Jay King @ByJayKing
about 6 hours ago
Robert Williams said he’ll show up at the practice facility at 8 or 8:30 and Al Horford and Aron Baynes have been there since 6.


Jay King
Jay King @ByJayKing
about 6 hours ago
Robert Williams on Al Horford: “One thing he told me was just consistency. I feel like that’s the biggest thing from Al. And not even from talking to him — just watching him.”



Tom Westerholm
Tom Westerholm @Tom_NBA
about 6 hours ago
Robert Williams on the love he feels in Massachusetts: “They’re not out here screaming ‘Where’s your wallet?’”



bob



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Bob H - excellent diagnosis on RWilliams. Somehow I think he will be ok as he is now moving into his 20's and the Celts have no need to overplay him this early in his career.

Meanwhile, as Bob well knows, in my other life I'm a treasure hunter, and we hope this weekend the weather cooperates and the red tide abates so we can go out and dig up some booty. I need to be able to afford tickets for the 2019 NBA Finals for me and Heckler who earned his seat doing a magnetometer survey last year in 95 degree weather, sweating buckets of bullets.

worcester wrote:Bob H - excellent diagnosis on RWilliams. Somehow I think he will be ok as he is now moving into his 20's and the Celts have no need to overplay him this early in his career.

Meanwhile, as Bob well knows, in my other life I'm a treasure hunter, and we hope this weekend the weather cooperates and the red tide abates so we can go out and dig up some booty. I need to be able to afford tickets for the 2019 NBA Finals for me and Heckler who earned his seat doing a magnetometer survey last year in 95 degree weather, sweating buckets of bullets.

Worcester,

More like howitzer shells than bullets.  Being out on the Gulf in July/August might be the worst combination of heat and humidity I've ever experienced, especially under that towel to cut the glare on the computer monitor.  Most of the sweating came from fear.  I was afraid I was going to screw the pooch with just the 2 days of training on the software, which was normally a 5 day course.


bob


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Bob, you did a superb job under inhumane conditions while I was completely losing my cool. You were Mr. SangFroid.

worcester wrote:Bob, you did a superb job under inhumane conditions while I was completely losing my cool. You were Mr. SangFroid.

Worcester,

I almost had heat stroke on our first day on the water, remember? More like Mr. Sang Chaud.


bob


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Yes, you were boiling over.