Robert Williams underwent successful surgery to remove the torn portion of his meniscus this morning. The decision to remove the affected portion means a quicker return to action.
According to the Celtics, Williams is expected to be able to return to play in approximately 4-6 weeks.
“Surgery went well, Preciate all the prayers and concern!” Williams tweeted this morning.
Head coach Ime Udoka revealed on Monday that surgery was necessary, eliminating any kind of rehab options that might have resulted in Williams returning more quickly. That option still likely would have required offseason surgery.
There is a long-term risk with the removal of the meniscus. There is now an increased chance of developing arthritis in that portion of the knee, but it shouldn’t impact how he plays.
“I wouldn't worry about him long term. The main long term worry with any meniscus issues is arthritis,” said sports medicine doctor Jessica Flynn. “I'm not worried about explosiveness or anything like that. It's more that if there's any associated arthritis. That's the thing that could just slow him down and affect his career a little bit.”
Of course, increased chance doesn’t mean that it will definitely happen. It’s just something that will have to be monitored over time.
The timeline for his return means Williams will likely miss at least the first round of the playoffs. It’s possible that in the most optimistic scenario he could return for some portion of it, but it seems more likely that he will be able to rejoin the team if it advances to the second round, depending on how the recovery goes.
In the meantime, the Celtics will have to account for his absence somehow. We’ll get our first glimpse of how they do that in tonight’s game against the Miami Heat. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both listed as probable after both missed the last game with right knee soreness. That would give Udoka his four regular starters back and a choice for his fifth starter.
The most likely candidate seems to be Daniel Theis, with the Celtics simply plugging him into Williams’ starting role and seeing how much of his production Theis can duplicate. If the system, and Tatum’s advancements as a playmaker, allow Theis to fill a reasonable amount of the production, then the Celtics might simply roll with that lineup and leave the rest unchanged.
The key, of course, is Theis doing enough of the basics to allow the Celtics to keep the rest of their rotations intact. No one is going to replicate Williams’ spectacular plays, but if Theis can still be enough of a lob threat and shot-blocking roamer, then the Celtics can keep rolling along with their game plan.
"He doesn’t jump as high or get up as high, but he's a lob threat as well that brings a different shooting touch as well," Udoka said Monday. "The thing we'll have to make up some is the second chance points which he obviously keeps a lot of balls alive and gets us a lot of offensive rebounds. Defensively the deterrent at the rim, that changes some, but like I said, Daniel brings some of the same things to the table. ... We got guys that are capable and we'll keep moving.”
If he can’t, then other options like starting Derrick White and sliding Tatum over to power forward, or starting Grant Williams alongside Al Horford, become more likely.
The experiment starts tonight against the Miami Heat, which also happens to be a battle for the top seed. A win would give Boston a half game lead over Miami with the tiebreaker already in hand. Milwaukee beat Philadelphia last night, so the Bucks are in second place and the Sixers have slid to fourth.
We discussed Robert Williams and these options on the latest Locked On Celtics podcast, which you can watch below or subscribe using your favorite podcast app.