Boston Celtics: Frontrunners to win each of the 2021-22 NBA awards

Most likely Boston Celtics Most Improved Player: Robert Williams

Once again, just look back at the Defensive Player of the Year slide. Robert Williams is expected to have a huge role with the Boston Celtics this season, as their presumed starter. Since he’s played in very limited minutes for the C’s in his career so far, he has the chance to shock the world with how he performs.

Just the sheer lack of exposure could be enough to skyrocket the ‘Time Lord’ into the discussions early in the season if he has a good October. He has the ability to go out and be a starting caliber center in today’s NBA, that’s why he was so highly touted in college. His work ethic was a question mark which caused him, a top ten player in the draft, to fall to the Cs at 27.

It seems as though he’s turned it around since he entered the league and now’s his chance to take his opportunity and run with it.

He showed flashes of ability in the 113 games he has played so far. In the 16 games he’s started in his career, the Celtics are 12-4 and have outscored those opponents by 140 points. Williams is one of the more valuable players on the Celtics roster and that shows with the contract extension he signed in the offseason.

If Williams were to walk away from the season with the Most Improved Player award, he would be the first Boston Celtics player to ever do so. Current teammate Jaylen Brown was in consideration for the award in both 2019 and 2020 but didn’t bring it home. If Time Lord can play at a borderline All Star level the he has a legitimate chance to win the award. Out of everybody on the Celtics, he has the highest chance of doing so.