Elite center play is a foundation for any team hoping to compete for a championship, including the Boston Celtics.
Look at the last five finals winners and look at who was playing the five. Guys like Draymond Green, Marc Gasol, Anthony Davis, and now one of DeAndre Ayton or Brook Lopez were all the foundation of an elite defense and stapled an even better offense.
Now, let’s look at the losing side: Guys like Tristan Thompson, Kelly Olynyk, and DeMarcus Cousins were competing against those premier bigs, and none of them stood a chance. If the Celtics want to contend, they need to formulate an elite center rotation.
Enter: Robert Williams.
Boston’s late first-round draft pick from a few years ago has finally panned out and looks like their center of the future.
He came into last season in much better health but had a minor role between Theis and Thompson, but he showed what he could in the few minutes he got.
After Theis was shipped, the Boston Celtics fanbase indeed came to know just how impactful Robert Williams was.
According to BBall Index’s NBA lineup data, lineups with Robert Williams, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Kemba Walker ranked in the 98th percentile in playmaking, in the 96th percentile in scoring gravity, in the 99th percentile in finishing, in the 93rd percentile in penetration, and in the 91st percentile in finishing at the rim.
The Boston Celtics were a completely different team offensively and defensively with Robert Williams on the court compared to him off the court.
He is an instrumental part of the Boston Celtics’ young core and needs to be treated like such.
However, he is far from perfect. If Robert Williams wants to reach his full potential, there are a few things he will have to improve upon. Let’s take a look at 3 of those areas:
Area of Improvement for Robert Williams No. 1) Finishing through contact
Robert Williams showed that he could be one of the best roll men in the NBA with a more significant role.
His 7-6 wingspan, insane vertical speed, and sheer jumping ability make him a detriment to other teams around the rim.
Add in his natural timing and unique passing ability and he has the tools to be one of the best roll men in the NBA.
However, Williams’ rolling is far from polished and needs to improve in some areas before being given such high praise.
He is skinny for someone his size, which allows him to be more mobile but holds back his production against certain matchups.
Defensive bigs that can read pick-and-rolls very well, like Draymond Green, have no problem defending Williams despite being at a significant size disadvantage.
Williams can’t outjump every defender he plays — sometimes, he’ll have to go right through them instead of over them.
Williams tends to struggle in these situations due to a lack of muscle and touch around the rim.
If he can put on some more weight and work on finishing through contact instead of trying to avoid it entirely, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with.
I’m not saying Williams should change his body type, he should try to remain as mobile as possible, but the strength will have to come along at some point.
When the Boston Celtics play more adept pick-and-roll defenses like the Bucks or the Heat, Williams will have to rely on more than just his athleticism to outmaneuver Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
We’ve already seen clips of Williams getting in the gym early, so I have high hopes that he will accomplish what I’m asking of him.
Area of Improvement for Robert Williams No. 2) Improve shooting
It would seem like Robert Williams has a solid foundation for a jump shot on the surface, seeing as he shot 64% from 10-16 feet this season.
It’s good that he’s flashed the potential to be a reliable jump shooter, but his shooting volume is low, and he has not extended his range to the 3-point line.
As it stands, he is just a roll man and not a threat from the outside, damaging his value in the postseason. If his rolling can be neutralized, his impact can be too, which would be a massive problem for the Boston Celtics.
He doesn’t need to be KAT, but if Williams can start working on becoming a legitimate pop threat, his value to the Celtics long-term increases exponentially. He needs to improve his release and consistency on his form.
It’s very wonky and slow, but Williams tends to rush it sometimes, which throws off his shot’s accuracy. If he can speed up his release and become a little more consistent, it will be a lot easier to shoot catch-and-shoot triples.
Robert Williams’ shooting is one of those improvements that he does not necessarily need to work on but should still give some time.
Horford went through exactly what Williams is going through as he approached his prime. He can relate to Williams and be a better teacher than a traditional shooting coach.
With Horford back with the Boston Celtics, we will see an uptick in jump shots from the high flying big. But, with all due respect to Horford, Williams should probably invest in a shooting coach anyway just to be safe.
Area of Improvement for Robert Williams No. 3) Improve fitness
Getting down to brass tacks, the only thing standing between Robert Williams and top 10 center status is his availability.
He has played only 113 games in his three-year NBA career and just came off a season where he missed 20 games, including two pivotal playoff matchups.
Williams has a checkered injury history, and his long-term health problems have been a concern for the Boston Celtics for a while. They played a large part in Williams’ bench status early in the year and will play a significant role in his possible extension with the team.
Strictly speaking from a skill and talent perspective, Robert Williams should be a costly commodity.
However, his impact gets diminished if he is not on the floor playing. The Celtics can’t afford to clog their cap space with Williams’ deal if he misses 20-25 games a season and is still not healthy for the playoffs.
His leg condition limiting his minutes is not a problem — if he’s playing, the Boston Celtics are fine. But if he’s not, then the team may have to look elsewhere for a franchise center.
I don’t think this will happen, seeing as Williams undoubtedly knows this is his contract season.
Williams needs to get in shape, be more available for the Cs, and, more specifically, be available for the playoffs.
Udoka may have to bite the bullet for a few games when the Celtics inevitably load manage Williams. Still, it will only be against tanking teams, so the games he misses won’t impact the team’s overall record.