Boston Celtics: 3 Cs with most to prove during final month of season
By Mark Nilon
Boston Celtics player No. 2) Robert Williams III
All season long, it appears as though Robert Williams III has been tasked with proving himself on a nightly basis.
In the beginning, we saw the third-year big serving as a commodity off the bench, coming in for a change of pace mid-game and seeing averages of about 16 minutes a night.
Fast forward a few months later and we find Time Lord finally getting his shot in the starting rotation at the pivot and, in turn, if posting 10.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and two blocks per game on 69 percent shooting from the field in such a role.
For years now, we’ve been preaching our desires to see Williams serve as the C’s starting center and, now that he has it, we want him to keep it heading into the playoffs.
This is why we believe this final stretch of the season is so vital for the 23-year-old.
No, it’s not just a matter of him proving he can play well in the first five — he’s already done this — but, rather, if he can play well against the team’s first-round matchup and, during these final 15 games, they’ll be squaring off against three potential postseason foes in the New York Knicks, the Charlotte Hornets, and the team that Williams had problems with in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the Miami Heat.
Though we hope to see the third-year big play well in general during this final month of action, it is these five total outings (squaring off against Miami and Charlotte twice) that we believe to be the most important for the center to shine.