3 realistic Robert Williams III replacements the Celtics must pursue

2. Bismack Biyombo

As noted, completely replacing Williams and what he provided on a nightly basis in Boston is something that may not be all that feasible with the current crop of players available on the open market.

However, should they be looking for a big-bodied presence who can snatch down rebounds at an efficient rate and protect the paint (i.e. a wildly oversimplified breakdown of what Timelord did), then scooping up Bismack Biyombo on a low-cost veteran’s minimum deal could be a move worth making.

Heading into his age 31 season, Biyombo may not be a “spring chicken” by any stretch of the word, but he still seems to be an effective contributor when on the hardwood and these past couple of years have shown that he’s more than capable of registering quality minutes for a contending team.

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Since 2021-22, the veteran has served as a reserve big for the Phoenix Suns where he’s sported sound averages of 4.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks on 58.4 percent shooting from the field in just 14.2 minutes a night.

On top of these counting stats, Biyombo has boasted impressive offensive and defensive ratings of 113 and 107, respectively, over this span and, last season, logged a career-high defensive box plus-minus of +2.5.

Now, would snagging the soon-to-be 13-year pro be a groundbreaking move for the Celtics to make? Absolutely not.

That said, this team may not need a shakeup of such magnitude.

Instead, with Williams no longer in the picture, perhaps all they need at this moment is a proven and highly experienced player who can do the nitty gritty things on the floor while the C’s main focal points focus on making head coach Joe Mazzulla’s gameplan run smoothly.