Robert Williams deserves benefit of doubt after missing first conference call as a Celtic

The No. 27 overall pick got off to a bit of a rough start as a Celtic on Friday, oversleeping for his initial call with the media after a long night with friends and family in Louisiana.

Not the best sign for a guy that slipped down draft boards partially due to character concerns, but also a situation that's easily understandable for a 20-year-old. There was some confusion about time zones, according to a source and sleeping in late isn't exactly a surprise for someone a sophomore in college.

The conference call was later rescheduled for this afternoon and the Texas A&M big man was enthused about joining a Celtics team with championship aspirations. Here are a few of the highlights: 

On his defensive ability: "I feel like I love defense. I feel like most of all I thrive off defense, a defensive stopper. And I feel like the energy the Celtics have on defense is the excitement from simple hustle plays, as far as diving on the floor for the ball. It really gets the team and the fans going. And I feel like I can definitely bring a lot of energy from that perspective."

On slipping down the draft from the lottery: "You always have people that doubt you. I know that I'm definitely going to make a lot of noise when I get there."

On staying an extra year in school despite being a lottery prospect: "Definitely no regrets. I definitely feel like everything happens for a reason."

On missing the initial conference call: "Right after the draft, I actually ran to my aunt's house and went to sleep because I was so tired from everything. When I woke up, my sister woke me up, she said, 'You have a conference call.'"

The entire situation was an avoidable one, but it shouldn't really impact the first impression of Williams in Boston. Some confusion and sleeping in after the biggest night of your life shouldn't be punished by Celtics fans. If he blew off the conference call entirely with the media, that'd be one thing. That clearly wasn't his intention with it being rescheduled an hour later.

There will be plenty of time to judge Williams this summer and season with his play and work ethic on and off the floor, starting next month in Las Vegas. In today's age when overreaction is prevalent across social media, Williams should be given the benefit of the doubt for this one.