Boston Celtics: 3 ways the C’s are eerily similar to the 2020-21 Suns
By Seth Quinn
Why Boston Celtics resemble 2020-21 Suns No. 2) A breakout center
It’s no secret to anyone involved or simply familiar with the NBA at this point that Robert Williams had himself a breakout year serving as the starting center for the Boston Celtics.
Throughout his young tenure leading up to 2021-22, the big man always showed signs of high potential, but this year is the first time where he’s shown it over a long period of time on starter-level minutes.
Another center that had a similar breakout to Rob last year was Phoenix Suns center, DeAndre Ayton.
Being a former first-round pick himself (albeit, Ayton was the first overall while Williams was taken at 27), a lot of people were constantly expecting to see the big man breakout. Like Rob, Ayton showed signs of high potential and elite-level talent, but couldn’t quite put it together on a consistent basis.
Last year, things changed.
Ayton became an important part of the Phoenix Suns’ game plan on both ends of the floor, providing rim protection, great rebounding, and a lob threat on offense.
His increased impact on both ends of the floor last year is very similar to how integral Time Lord was this year for the Celtics.
While the injury of the C’s athletic big man makes their playoff run more complicated, it still doesn’t change the fact that Ayton and Rob’s rise to stardom and playstyles are extremely similar.