Boston Celtics Mailbag: Is Kyrie Irving Sacrificing Shots for the Good of the Team?
By Thomas King
“With Daniel Theis out ‘indefinitely’, there may be more minutes available for Robert Williams III. What would he have to show in these minutes to continue getting playing time moving forward?” – Jude K.
A whole heap, man. After missing the last few games with a hamstring injury, center Aron Baynes is listed as probable for Tuesday’s rematch with the Detroit Pistons.
Baynes had a career year in his first season with the Celtics, anchoring the league’s top-rated defense, and has only shown improvement early in the season. Meanwhile, before injuring his foot against Detroit, Daniel Theis had his best game of the season since coming back from a knee injury, playing a near-perfect game with 17 points and 8 rebounds.
No matter how well Williams plays in his absence, Baynes and Theis will be nearly impossible to supplant from the rotation because of their experience, smarts, and intangibles. Both bigs just know how to play, and that is a premium for centers in Brad Stevens’ system.
Williams has more upside than either player, and has shown his jaw-dropping defensive chops in his limited minutes, but he has a long way to go to be as trusted and reliable as either of the Boston big men ahead of him.