Boston Celtics: Robert Williams gearing up for ‘Most Improved Player’ in 2019-20

With Al Horford’s departure from the Boston Celtics this offseason, the center position has a void that could be filled by any — or none — of their current options. Opportunity breeds breakout seasons, and for Robert Williams III this golden chance could lead him right to the ‘Most Improved Player’ award in 2019-20.

If Al Horford believes Boston Celtics’ second year big-man Robert Williams III will “blossom in the NBA“, why shouldn’t you? With the 33-year-old’s departure, coupled with Aron Baynes being traded to Phoenix this offseason, minutes will surely be up for grabs during the 2019-20 campaign. With this, we could see the 21-year-old’s career bloom sooner than expected.

Keep in mind, Horford has been no stranger to success during his 13-year career. With 11 playoff appearances, 5 All-Star nods and an All-NBA honor to his name, it’s safe to say the big knows what it takes to reach elite status in this league, and it appears he believes Williams has what it takes to reach said heights.

"“He was a great leader, a non-vocal leader,” Williams said about Al Horford. “In some cases, you’ve got to follow people that aren’t vocal in everything they do. But off the court too, Al comes up to me all the time. … Al was a great leader.”"

It appears as though Robert Williams is already reaping the benefits of Horford’s professional tutelage, for this offseason he acknowledged his areas of weakness from his rookie season and focused his attention on shoring up these loose ends. That humble approach will allow Williams to overcome any early struggles, but also assures he will be doing anything possible to improve — both on the court and in his spare time.

"“How I look at it is mental,” Williams said about improving from his rookie campaign. “It’s obviously a big step mentally — taking care of your body, getting treatment, eating, dietitian, doing everything right. It’s mental, all of it is mental. Once you get that set up there, get things rolling, it’s a standard that you live up to. This summer, I just felt like I needed to clean up my diet a lot, sleep, get more hours of sleep and just try to keep that rolling.”"

It looks as though Williams has woken up to the rigors of preparing one’s self for the grueling marathon that is the NBA season. And, if his performance in this year’s Las Vegas Summer League is any indication, his change in approach may have done wonders for the second year project.

In 19.5 minutes per game, the ‘Time Lord’ put up impressive averages of 9.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game on 52% shooting. Extrapolating his numbers to a per-36 minute basis, the athletic big put up a whopping 17 points, 18.5 boards and 3 blocks per contest.

The reason his per-36 averages are relevant is because, looking back on last season, it was clear Williams was raw in limited minutes but he also managed to put up ridiculous numbers with these conversions. With them, we see the center put up 10.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and a stellar 5.1 blocks per game — which is the highest blocks average per-36 minutes since 1991-92. It is clear that not only has he continued to show that his per-36 numbers are phenomenal but they are, in fact, improving.

Granted, this year’s conversions came against Summer League competition, but also keep in mind that he is only 21, has another summer working out with the Boston Celtics training staff under his belt and, now, is playing on a team that seems to have genuine camaraderie.

The Boston Celtics have four players in their starting lineup that are all capable of creating their own shot. In the end, Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown may just need a low usage option at center.

While it will be nice to see Enes Kanter‘s post game give Boston a boost on many nights, truthfully a rim runner who thrives in the pick & roll is all this iteration of a starting lineup would need offensively. Couple that with relentless shot blocking abilities and the athleticism to keep up with seemingly all assignments, and all signs point to Robert Williams being an ideal fit within the team’s main rotation.

With a regular spot in the rotation comes more minutes. More minutes should equate to more production. And, if his aforementioned per-36 minute averages are any indicator, he could find himself putting up eye-popping performances night in, and night out.

For the Boston Celtics, things are quite different than they were last year. They have a selfless talent running the point guard position with Walker. They have Hayward coming into the season both mentally and physically healthy. And, they have many minutes to spare down low with the newly opened vacancy at the five.

If the young big-man’s alleged changes in his training regiment this offseason translates into improvements in his overall game, we could see him carve out a nice chunk of playing time at the center spot. If all goes right, we could realistically see Robert Williams’ name thrust into the conversation for the Most Improved Player award come June 2020.