Robert Williams III, his agent Kevin Bradbury and long-time mentor and trainer Rickey Evans talked on the phone early in the Celtics-Nets series. Less than three weeks had passed since Williams III underwent a partial meniscectomy on his left knee, and he wanted to return. Bradbury and Evans cautioned Williams III to take it slow, Evans highlighting the Celtics' success to begin the series against the Nets allowing Williams to take more time before returning in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, as originally planned.
"He wasn't having it," Evans said. "He was ready to get back out there."
Williams III returned 24 days after surgery for Game 3, catching an alley-oop, blocking a shot and appearing off the bench for two wins in Brooklyn that secured a series sweep for the Celtics. His return, beyond further energizing a group that had already gotten off to a strong start in the series, reunited Boston's starting lineup into the second round against the Bucks, returning close to the levels of dominance they achieved early in the season by outscoring opponents by a team-best 8.9 points per 100 possessions in Williams' playoff minutes. Williams' push to return to the court as quickly as possible reflected the trust he felt he earned from the team to be available. Even without Boston pressuring him, Ime Udoka declaring the Celtics planned to play round one without him.
"Very impressed with how Rob tackled this setback," Al Horford told Boston Sports Journal. "He was the first one in here every day working on his body, working on different things, conditioning, just trying to do as much as he could to come help us. He knows how much we need him and I was just really impressed with just his consistency. That just speaks to him, all year, he's been that consistent, weight room, treatment, getting his shots in, all the things on the court. All the off-the-court stuff, that's what's impressed me with him and he's taken a huge leap just in this year. It's a lot of credit to him and the time that he's put in and the work he's put in is showing, and we're grateful for it, because he was able to come back. We weren't expecting him to be back in the first round, and he was able to come back and be with us. He's obviously a huge part of what we do."
Minnesota forward Taurean Prince stopped short to shoot over Williams III on the left wing on Mar. 27 in Boston, forcing Rob to leap and when he landed he could feel the pain. He defended two more possessions, both harder than the last, and he prepared to ask out of the eventual blowout win when Udoka called timeout following three straight Timberwolves baskets. Williams III sat down next to Payton Pritchard, telling him he was nervous. He couldn't stand up or move around easily, and he didn't want to find out why. An MRI the following day revealed a torn meniscus, an injury that could've cost Williams III the rest of the season, and potentially more after the Celtics just won their 22nd game over their last 25.
Williams III and Evans talked to two different doctors, who assessed that the location of the tear allowed it to be removed, letting Williams III quickly return to the floor. He had already made up his mind. The NBA Playoffs loomed, and he wanted to be part of it.
"He had a few different options," Evans said. "But he wanted to go with the one that would allow him to get back as fast as possible ... both doctors recommended (it), said that with what the injury was, that would be a good route for him to take. Once he found out that other athletes had the procedure and came back within a couple weeks, he was ready to try that."
Celtics team physicians Dr. Tony Schena and Dr. Glen Ross performed the surgery three days after the injury, reporting to Udoka and Williams III that it went as well as that surgery could. The team's medical staff set a 4-6 week window for Williams' return, but multiple reports indicated even that estimate could prove conservative.
Williams III felt surprised at how mobile he remained exiting the surgery. He arrived at the Celtics' facility the next day, ready to tackle two-a-day rehab sessions as Boston concluded its regular season. The last time the team traveled to Milwaukee early last month, Williams III stayed behind, initially strengthening the muscles around his knee before advancing to walking, running and on-court drills. The Celtics watched for any swelling or pain emerging. The first time Williams III stepped on the floor, he wanted to dunk, but the medical staff urged against it.
"The second time I got on the court, they let me dunk and I felt like I was ready then," Williams III told BSJ. "But had some boxes to check."
Williams III reached the benchmarks the team set out for him around the three-week mark following his surgery. The Celtics took him on the trip to Brooklyn, and could hardly contain the uncertainty the team projected over his status entering Game 3. Williams III dunked away in shootaround, while Sam Hauser clapped in his face every time he saw Williams that day. Grant Williams and Marcus Smart answered questions broadly about Williams III's hypothetical return. Inevitably, the Celtics activated him in a bench role, with a loose 20-minute limit.
The conditioning lapse from nearly one month off and lack of time in practice alongside teammates left Williams III's timing off, but in his first rotation he blocked Andre Drummond at the basket. Tatum fittingly unloaded a signature alley-oop on the other end that his teammate caught and threw down. Williams was back.
“I was extremely excited,” Tatum told BSJ after. “Rob and Bradley Beal are probably my two favorite players. Getting Rob back is huge for our team. Even in limited minutes, how much of an impact he made on the game. Even if it doesn’t show up, just his presence, being a lob threat, rim protector, great passer. Rob was big for us off the bench. If we’re going to do anything special this postseason, we definitely need him.”
After the Celtics swept the Nets, Boston had nearly one week to practice and prepare for the next series, allowing Williams III to join the high-intensity sessions and get his conditioning back up. He rejoined the starting lineup for Game 1, recording six points, eight rebounds, a steal and three blocks, holding the Bucks to 0-for-11 shooting when matched up against him in the loss. Udoka saw numerous times the Celtics missed chances to pass to the 73.6% shooter.
"You run some sets to get him looks, but also we missed several opportunities," Udoka told BSJ before Game 3. "He's obviously a lob threat, lobs and drop-offs against their bigs contesting at the basket. It was kind of glaring when you went back and watched some of the opportunities we had there."
Evans sees Williams III eventually growing into a post-up threat, commanding more ball time and generally becoming a bigger part of what the Celtics do offensively. He can already hit the mid-range shot, but rarely attempted it this season. His greatest impacts came on the offensive glass, dribble handoffs for shooters and producing vertical gravity with his rolls.
Williams III placed the burden on himself to get open for teammates. It may take a challenge to get him involved, the same way he started becoming a more disciplined defender, the more available presence this season and an all-defensive team contender. Despite nominating Smart to win defensive player of the year this season, Evans said Williams has his eyes set on the award in the near future too.
"Once he gets put in a situation where he feels like the team needs him to do more offensively, that's what he's going to do," Evans said. "As long as he feels like the team's gonna be successful with him blocking shots, rebounding and defending, he'll just keep doing that, but I think that once he starts to get more involved offensively, because he has the talent, he has the skill to do it, I think that's only going to make the team better."
Here's what else happened in the NBA this week...
Atlanta: Hawks owner Tony Ressler vowed to shake up the roster and potentially pay the luxury tax to improve after going from the East finals to a play-in tournament team and first-round exit. Everyone aside from Trae Young will probably be on the table, including Clint Capela ($19.7-million), John Collins ($23.5-million) and Bogdan Bogdanovic ($18-million). "I think we should have tried to get better rather than bring back what we had," Ressler said. "That won't happen again, by the way. It was a mistake, in my opinion."
Boston (tied 1-1 vs. Milwaukee): Following up their unfathomable shutdown of Kevin Durant to 38% shooting in the first round by holding Giannis Antetokounmpo to the same through two games. Grant Williams is one of the league's largest playoff revelations, shooting 55.2% from three, averaging 1.2 blocks and 12.3 points per game while logging 30 minutes every night guarding top offensive players. Boston's half-court offense will decide whether they can win the series though, shooting and passing poorly in Game 1, then moving the ball and hitting 47% of their threes in Game 2.
Brooklyn: Ben Simmons underwent back surgery that he should recover from in time for training camp, another shocking chapter to his nearly year-long absence from NBA basketball. The herniated disc emerged during his ramp-up after his post-trade deadline arrival, then another attempted return in the first round against Boston feel short due to more back soreness. The Nets were reportedly surprised and disappointed Simmons didn't play, and he didn't sit on the bench for Game 4. There's a strange disconnect evident by Simmons' camp and Nets officials meeting before that game.
Charlotte: Mike D'Antoni, Kenny Atkinson, Darvin Ham, Charles Lee and David Vanterpool all appear in play for the Hornets' job as the allure of coaching LaMelo Ball appears enviable to some of the top head coaching candidates available, including an early Lakers favorite in Ham. D'Antoni is intriguing, while not necessarily a defensive coach this Hornets group may need, he would be instrumental in implementing an offensive structure that gets the best out of Ball, a promising young star still looking to make the playoffs for the first time.
Chicago: Between Zach LaVine intending to explore unrestricted free agency and Lonzo Ball's meniscus surgery recovery still at a standstill from January, the Bulls' offseason doesn't look great early on. LaVine can sign a five-year, $212-million contract in Chicago. Only five losing teams have cap space to offer him the $36-million max in 2022-23 without sign-and-trade help from the Bulls. If LaVine wants to leave, it'll set off an intriguing trade negotiation with whatever team targets him, which sometimes go over smoothly, like how Chicago acquired Ball and DeMar DeRozan, or end in the acquiring team getting soaked of assets, like James Harden to Philadelphia.
Cleveland: Kevin Love finished as the runner-up in the NBA's top sixth man award, taking to Instagram to celebrate a long journey from 2016 champion through frustrating rebuilding years that culminated in outbursts and a departure from Team USA last summer amid poor play in the Olympics. Love will make $28.9-million in the final season of his contract this year at 33-years-old.
Dallas (down 2-1 vs. Phoenix): Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson teamed up to score 54 points and avoid an 0-3 showing after a dreadful defensive showing in Game 2 where Chris Paul manipulated Doncic's mistakes to help the Suns score 1.81 points per possession on the guard, the worst mark in three seasons, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon. Paul struggled as the series turned to Dallas, held to 12 points and four assists as the Mavericks finally clamped up defensively. The growing whispers of Dallas' interest in Rudy Gobert are intriguing given Doncic's passing skills and need for defensive help, but the Mavs would need to sacrifice some of their three-and-D depth to acquire him.
Denver: Michael Malone called this offseason the biggest of his head coaching tenure with the team, Denver needing to become deeper to alleviate the pressure on Nikola Jokic and ease Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. back into the lineup after major injuries.
Detroit: Currently deciding which of the top prospects, Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero, or Jaden Ivey and Shaedon Sharpe best complement Cade Cunningham. The Pistons may have some leverage to navigate the top of the draft board if they get lucky on lottery night (May 17) again due to Cunningham's presence.
Golden State (tied 1-1 vs. Memphis): Draymond Green got ejected from Game 1 in what's been a physical, chippy series against the Grizzlies, before earning a fine flipping off the fans in Game 2. The teams split their meetings, Memphis nearly stealing Game 1 too, before Dillon Brooks' hard foul on Gary Payton II cost the Warriors one of their main Ja Morant defenders for at least most of the postseason with an elbow injury.
Steve Kerr lashed out at Brooks after the game, saying he broke the code with the hit, but Golden State also faces challenges on the glass, Klay Thompson's shooting struggles and nightly depth questions that may open a door for the Grizzlies to shock them in this series.
Houston: James Harden's struggles and Ben Simmons' uncertain future actually make the original Harden trade from Houston to Brooklyn worth reviewing. The Rockets received unprotected first-round Nets picks in 2022, 2024 and 2026, with first-round pick swap opportunities coming in 2023, 2025 and 2027.
While the Rockets botched chances to keep or flip Jarrett Allen, Caris LaVert and Victor Oladipo for more, the initial pick return for an aging Harden now looks appropriate or even a steal in retrospect. Brooklyn's 2022 pick fell to No. 17 overall, better than ever imaginable in a season where the Nets entered as championship favorites. The Rockets' future could look much brighter after this draft.
Indiana: Surprise, The Athletic's Bill Oram deemed the Russell Westbrook for Malcolm Brogdon and Buddy Hield trade idea too good to be true. It was always hard to imagine the Pacers acquiring Westbrook, pushing themselves back against the luxury tax and likely having no use for him with Tyrese Haliburton now at the center of their offense. Indiana's low attendance did make the idea of bringing in a star name, perhaps in a bench role if Westbrook accepted it, intriguing, however unlikely.
Clippers: Signed Robert Covington to a two-year, $24-million extension to get their offseason started early. Covington averaged 10.4 PPG on 50% shooting (45% 3PT) in 23 games with the Clippers after being dealt from Portland. His return solidifies LA's rotation with 11 players under contract, including six wings, and gives the team leverage in case Nic Batum departs in free agency.
Lakers: Interviewing former Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts for their open position, along with ESPN broadcaster and former Warriors head coach Mark Jackson. Phil Jackson is assisting the franchise with its search, an apparently busy process with Rob Pelinka, ownership as the team's stars and consultants surely involved. With Charlotte pursuing Darvin Ham and the Kings after Jackson too, it's worth wondering if LA's packed room of decision-makers slows them from getting one of their picks. Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin is an option, as is Lakers assistant Phil Handy. As for Raptors head man Nick Nurse, Masai Ujiri said keep dreaming.
Memphis (tied 1-1 vs. Golden State): Ja Morant missed a go-ahead shot late in Game 1 against the Warriors, but scored 34 points in the one-point loss and dropped 47 points in a Game 2 bounce-back win. The Warriors will have trouble containing Morant without Gary Payton II, injured by a hard Dillon Brooks fouled that earned the Grizzlies guard a suspension for Game 3. Memphis essentially won Game 2 without Brooks, ejected three minutes in, but only Ziaire Williams supported Morant on the scoring sheet. Desmond Bane struggled, while Jaren Jackson Jr. continues to battle foul trouble.
Miami (lead 2-1 vs. Philadelphia): Dealing with nagging ailments to Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker, among others. The Heat burst out to a dominant 2-0 lead in Miami with Joel Embiid injured, but the center's triumphant return in Game 3 bothered Bam Adebayo and held the Miami half court offense to an abysmal 75 points per 100 possessions. They shot 23.3% from three and Butler provided nearly all of their scoring. It's a legitimate red flag for the Heat in the first real game of the series.
Milwaukee (tied 1-1 vs. Boston): The second-worst half court offense in the NBA Playoffs ahead of only the Chicago Bulls. Milwaukee needs to get out on the fast break to beat the Celtics, and so far in the series we've seen the dominant side of their defense (Game 1) and the sporadic, fouling, overaggressive group that allowed 65 points in a first half (Game 2). Mike Budenholzer didn't rule out Khris Middleton returning beyond Game 4, and with Milwaukee's wing depth struggling so far and Giannis Antetokounmpo pressed to create everything for himself, some version of Middleton may be necessary to break Boston's defense. Antetokounmpo is 3-for-18 in the paint and 38.5% overall.
Minnesota: D'Angelo Russell's future will dominate Timberwolve's offseason entering the final year of his contract in 2023, worth $31.4-million. Marc Stein reported that Minnesota could look to trade Russell, unsurprising considering his late-game benching in the final stages of the team's first-round loss to Memphis. As big of a step as 2022 proved to be for this group, they led throughout much of the six-game loss to the Grizzlies, and Russell, 26, might've played too sporadically to warrant an extension. It's unclear who would commit to the streaky guard at such a prosperous position in the league though. They might be stuck and forced to take him to free agency next summer.
New Orleans: Pelicans GM previewed a quiet offseason this week, one where all eyes will turn toward Zion Williamson's willingness to sign a max contract, or the team's desire to offer one. Their No. 15 overall pick will go to the Hornets through the Devonte' Graham sign-and-trade, but they own the Lakers' No. 8 odds in this month's lottery, with another lucky night potentially further altering the franchise's direction, or staying put in the top-10 allowing the team to grow even younger and more talented after Trey Murphy III, Jose Alvarado and Herb Jones factored heavily into their playoff run. If Williamson is right, this team has enormous upside in the west. That's a big question after 2022 though.
New York: Fred Katz outlined the Knicks' path to a $20-million offer to Jalen Brunson that still may not be enough. It would require moving Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel, while waiving Kemba Walker's final season over multiple years with the stretch provision. They'd also need to dump Taj Gibson's non-guaranteed salary. It's all hard to imagine with Brunson thriving next to Luka Doncic in Dallas, likely able to command more money from them and New York needing to answer its own questions like Julius Randle's future. Still, the Brunson whispers are loud here.
Oklahoma City: More Westbrook rumors floating around this team, more to be denied as unlikely. The Thunder don't have the cap space they did in recent seasons due to Kemba Walker's waived salary. More likely offseason outcomes here involve a Lu Dort extension, and a bunch of new young players entering the fold.
Orlando: The Magic are as excited for this month's draft lottery as anyone, but they also quietly have Bird Rights for one of the offseason's best free agents in Gary Harris. Holding onto the veteran beyond the trade deadline proved wise, as his $20-million contract expired and now they can potentially move him in sign-and-trade scenarios to acquire assets or young players. Harris averaged 11.1 PPG and shot 38.4% from three in 61 games with the Magic last year. He's now an unrestricted free agent.
Philadelphia (down 1-2 vs. Miami): Joel Embiid's stat line from Game 3 doesn't scream iconic performance, but he defended fiercely with an orbital fracture, days removed from concussion symptoms and continuing to battle a tear in his right thumb. The 76ers saved their season with a 99-79 win, Embiid scoring 18 points with 11 rebounds in his first appearance of the series. He gritted out 36 minutes with little conditioning over the past week, Tyrese Maxey powering the offense with 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting. The Heat struggled to get quality paint looks against Embiid, and the star's return mercifully ended the De'Andre Jordan and Paul Reed center rotation that got torched in his absence. James Harden struggled to shoot again (4/11) and turned the ball over seven times as free agency looms. He could reportedly take less than the max to help the 76ers.
Phoenix (lead 2-1 vs. Dallas): Not in trouble after dropping Game 3 to Dallas, Doncic bound to steal a game as arguably the best player in this series. The Suns turned the ball over too often while shooting 46% from three and losing by nine points. It is mildly concerning that the Mavericks' guards can penetrate their interior though given the small, crafty scoring guards that could loom on the Warriors or Grizzlies in the west finals.
Portland: On their books, Damian Lillard makes $42.5-million next season, Josh Hart makes $13-million, while Anfernee Simons enters restricted free agency intending to stay with the Blazers. He could command roughly $90-million, already cutting into Portland's cap space before the team addresses Jusuf Nurkic's unrestricted free agency.
Sacramento: Kings GM Monte McNair likes Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown as Sacramento's next head coach, so do fans, and Brown could reportedly be intrigued by the idea too, given De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis' already serving as franchise cornerstones. As always though, ownership priorities could be the most important factor in what the Kings ultimately end up doing.
San Antonio: Zach Collins is a player to watch entering 2022-23, giving the Spurs solid play on a $7-million annual contract through 2024 after a major ankle injury ended his final season with the Trail Blazers and cut off most of his first in San Antonio. He averaged 7.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG and 2.2 APG on 49% shooting following his return in 28 games. He's now one of the swing players in how quickly the Spurs can return to the playoffs, and quietly only 25-years-old next season.
Toronto: Nick Nurse and Masai Ujiri sounded on the same page about the Raptors' future, leaning into Nurse's wing-heavy approach looking for more OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam-like players. That system carried the team further than anyone predicted in the team's first season since Kyle Lowry departed, keeping them in the playoffs comfortably despite no consistent center presence. Nurse is looking for more shooting, with center not necessarily a priority for this group. That's not the wrong direction, but facing Joel Embiid in round one showed how vulnerable that can leave Toronto in certain matchups. The team could opt for a cheaper center option in the offseason.
Utah: Everyone's waiting for the breaking news regarding who the Jazz will stick with, Donovan Mitchell or Rudy Gobert. If Danny Ainge taught us anything in Boston though, he'll be patient and demand top dollar to move either one of them. That said, it's unclear how much market leverage he can generate unless he shops Mitchell.
Washington: A big lottery night might be the last remaining hope for the Wizards to solidify their roster around Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma as something beyond a fringe playoff contender. Washington owns a 13.9% chance at a top-four pick and a 3.0% long shot at the No. 1 overall selection. Crazier things have happened.