Boston Celtics: Williams – Capela comparisons are dangerous
Comparing Robert Williams to Clint Capela could set a dangerous standard for the rookie
A lot of people are really excited about Boston Celtics rookie Robert Williams, and all kinds of comparisons have been going around. The most popular one seems to be Clint Capela, and there is reason behind it.
Williams is a special kind of athlete who looks to do all his damage with dynamic play on the inside. Capela is absolutely deadly playing to the rim, and can offer elite rim protection while being slightly undersized.
Capela has a truly special impact on the Rockets, and feels like a perfect fit in what they are trying to do with three pointers and scoring in the paint. There is no doubt that Williams possesses similar tools. They have similar measurables and everything people talk about Williams doing, Capela has mastered with the Rockets.
The problems with the comparisons, however, is you have to take into account where these players are. The Rockets ran one of the greatest offenses in the history of the game last season, and they did that by taking an overwhelming amount of threes, and keeping everything else in the paint.
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The Rockets created a situation where Capela could have a great offensive impact by sticking into the paint and hitting the open shots that are created by his superior athleticism, and precise passing from great guards on the outside.
On the Celtics, Williams will not be able to play that same kind of role, and have that kind of impact. There is no doubt that he will get a lot of great opportunities to score on the inside, but the Celtics will not depend on those kind of buckets nearly as much as the Rockets do.
The Celtics will not be feeding Williams the way the Rockets feed Capela, and that alone will make it almost impossible to live up to the standard that is being set by Capela in Houston.
Defense is also quite different too, because Williams is going to be asked to do a lot more than just provide great rim protection and lock down the paint. The Celtics need Williams to be able to play on the outside and have enough quickness and speed to stay with some of the best guards and wings in the NBA.
Williams will be put into more difficult defensive positions, and that could either hurt or help his impact. It will be incredibly difficult for Williams to play well in his entire defensive role with the Celtics, and any shortcomings will limit his minutes.
Physically, there are similarities between Capela and Williams, but thinking that he can have the same kind of impact on the Celtics that Capela has on the Rockets does not make much sense. The Celtics play a completely different game and will be using him in completely different ways.
Williams should be able to have some sort of role in his rookie season, but he is still a rookie. Capela is incredibly polished and plays his role exactly how the Rockets need it, and it has worked phenomenally.
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The Celtics need to figure out exactly how they want to use Williams, and then it will take a lot of time to get him to execute that role as effectively as Capela executes his role in Houston. Right now, Williams is a rookie to get excited about, but comparing him to Capela is setting a dangerous standard.