LAS VEGAS -- After a disappointing first two weeks as a Celtic, there was probably no player more eager to get on the floor during summer league than Robert Williams on Friday night.
The 27th overall pick came off the bench in his Boston debut and was very active in his first six minutes, knocking down a midrange jumper and throwing down a dunk over that span while skying for a couple of rebounds.
The 6-foot-9 center was hobbled in the final minutes of the frame, though, after banging knees with a Sixer and limped off the court at the end of the quarter. He eventually went back to the locker room with trainers and was ruled out for the game due to a knee contusion.
However, the rookie revealed after the game that he was dealing with additional complications in that knee.
"I had a case of tendinitis and it kind of got bumped," Williams said after finishing with four points and two rebounds. "I’ve been feeling sore a little bit, but the trainer has been doing a great job giving me what I needed. The coaches are just more worried about my body, worried about protecting it and not wanting to risk anything."
The Celtics and Williams were unclear about his availability for Saturday's game against the Nuggets but the issue does not sound like something that will sideline him over the long term.
"I’ve been dealing with it for a little bit but the great trainers we’ve got in Boston have it under control," Williams explained.
The injury gave Celtics fans just a glimpse of how Williams has integrated himself during his first week as a Celtic, but it's evident the impact the system is making on him already.
"It’s way more detailed, from practice all the way to the game," Williams said after his first week of practice. "It’s the right way and going 100 percent, not just 100 percent and messing up everything. Paying attention to detail is the most important thing I’ve learned."
The 20-year-old has made a tough first impression after missing his first practice as a Celtic, but that hasn't stopped him from trying to soak up guidance from other bigs around the team.
"Just absorb everything, the good and the bad, know what to do and what not to do," he said. "I’m talking to the right people. I’m led by good vets – Al Horford, Baynes. Try to learn the right path to have a successful career."
Williams is definitely going to struggle with larger bigs from a strength standpoint, given his thin figure. That's an area that was already apparent in the summer league opener as he struggled to set solid screens and battle in the post against the Sixers bigs.
"I thought he was getting grabbed on some of his rolls," Jay Larranaga noted. "Screening is an area that every young player has to get better at. Whether it’s a big guy making contact at the correct angle of approach to the ballhandler, to the shooter. And young guards have to get better at being patient and waiting on the screen. So we have some really good one on one players, but everyone needs to be a great screener and everyone needs to be great at using screens. So he’ll get better at that."
Williams is also getting some guidance on how to handle battling in the trenches from one of the best defensive bigs in the league.
"One of my first days in practice Baynes reiterated teaching me how to guard the post," he said. "I didn’t know a guy’s hand could be so strong – just one hand. The technique is something I have to adjust to ... It was definitely a wakeup call."
While there will be a learning curve on the defensive end, the flashes of athleticism were evident from the opening tip for Williams. He has a quick release on his dunk around the basket, something that should help him finish in traffic off of dishes like this one.
Retweeted Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics):
Robert Williams in the paint ? pic.twitter.com/Rp1vAAi3r6 https://t.co/kLcx2wjtoq
— En la Cancha Radio (@enlacanchapr) July 7, 2018
Robert Williams got UP for this rebound. His athleticism has certainly popped in this first quarter. Upside remains salivating. pic.twitter.com/YWkHL8JpT4
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) July 7, 2018
