Robert Williams has the coach in Brad Stevens, but still has to make it work on his end
Robert Williams fell all the way to 27th in the 2018 NBA Draft, and at that point, there was no way Danny Ainge wasn’t going to take the Texas A&M big man. Maturity issues and possible medical issues have been noted as reasons for Williams slipping into the late first round.
The first thing I would do if I were Brad Stevens. Put Robert Williams’ locker right next to Al Horford’s. Williams just needs to mature. Has the physical tools.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 22, 2018
Multiple teams were concerned and calling around last night about potential knee injury. Williams was also, according to multiple sources, not in great shape. One source close to Williams: “He just needs structure. Boston might have been the best place for him to end up." https://t.co/3D8Gfonrw0
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 22, 2018
Williams is a lottery talent, there is no question about that. However, there are these legitimate questions surrounding him. The good news for Williams is that he fell to one of the best organizations in sports.
To have a coach in Brad Stevens and a teammate in Al Horford to help mentor Williams is huge. The structure will be in place. Having said that, Williams needs to do his part. Maturity both on and off the court will be essential for his success (and the team’s success as a whole).
Williams was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in both his seasons in College Station (sharing the award with South Carolina’s Chris Silva this past year). He is an elite athlete, a rim-runner, and a rim-protector. He is still very raw offensively, but if you throw the ball up to him around the basket, he will finish.
Williams is the defensive big man that the Boston Celtics needed. He won’t have a lot of pressure on his plate individually and he won’t be asked to do too much on the offensive end of the floor.
The Celtics passed up on wings like Jacob Evans, Khyri Thomas, De’Anthony Melton, and Keita Bates-Diop, so there were other solid prospects still on the board. There is no question that Williams has the ability to help the Celtics in a major way, but there are some risks involved.
Next: 3 lineup options with Williams
At the end of the day, Williams could not have landed in a more perfect situation. Having a coach like Brad Stevens and an organization like the Celtics is all you can really ask for. Now, it is up to Williams to do his part.