Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from pivotal Game 3 win over Brooklyn

Boston Celtics takeaway No. 2) Robert Williams makes his long-awaited return

Robert Williams received a big ovation from C’s fans as he checked in to play for the first time since having surgery to repair his torn meniscus.

The Time Lord is just 24 days removed from that surgery, so he returned with a minutes restriction. The center only played 16 minutes, but he showed flashes of what he can do for this ball club and gave Boston fans a good reminder of what he brings to the table.

He is a constant lob threat which gives everybody a safety valve option when they attack the basket. Rob also provides a great offensive rebounding boost but his biggest impact is still felt on the defensive side of things.

There was one play that exemplifies this perfectly:

This play seems like just a simple block for Rob but it becomes even more important with context.

Al Horford was put in this exact isolation situation against Andre Drummond in Game 2. That play ended up as an and-one for Drummond as he took Horford to the rack. Williams, on the other hand, gets physical with Drummond and ends up pinning him on the glass.

For as good as Al is, this basic play just shows the kind of difference that Rob makes compared to him for this league-best defense.