Robert Williams is close to a return from his left knee surgery that was initially estimated to keep him out 8-12 weeks. Friday will mark week 11, but the Celtics have been insisting that Williams is right on schedule with the initial timeline.
So what’s the plan for his return?
Williams is apparently back in Boston while the team is on its western conference swing this week, picking up his cardio and getting ready for the demands of NBA basketball. One important potential element to his rehab could be using the Maine Celtics to get him up to speed.
The Maine Celtics have home games Friday, Sunday, and next Thursday, December 15. These are all either opportunities to assign Williams to the team so he can get some actual game action to see how the knee responds, get him practicing with a full basketball squad to get some real scrimmaging with people who aren’t coaches or staffers, or both.
The Celtics play the Orlando Magic at home on Friday December 16, which is 12 weeks after the surgery. The Celtics could very easily have him practice with Maine once or twice and then have him play on Thursday, then see how he feels afterwards. If he feels good, he can make his season debut on Sunday, December 18 when the Celtics face Orlando again.
The advantage there would be playing him in a 3:00 p.m. game, giving him some extra time afterwards to get treatment and rest while getting two days off before facing Indiana on Wednesday. The Celtics could even sit him on Friday vs. Minnesota to reduce his workload and have him back against Milwaukee on Christmas with three days off.
This is my best guess at what his comeback plan will look like. It’s a ramp-up that makes the most sense to me given that he’s back to 5-on-5 work, the timing of Maine’s schedule, and how Boston’s schedule is laid out. They're on a big home stretch, so it’s a perfect time to bring him back and really keep a close eye on how the knee is responding.
A limited test against live competition in Maine would be ideal because there is no pressure involved, but it’s also high-level basketball that will allow him to get back into the swing of quick cuts, jumps, and decision making. It will give him a couple of days to get through the soreness of getting back to basketball and ease back into the NBA schedule.
The next question is what he’ll look like for the Celtics. I’ve been looking at Luke Kornet’s minutes because I think the Celtics are using him in similar spots as Williams, though the results will be radically different.
For example, this alley oop from Jaylen Brown may not be available if Williams was running it.
This lob is made possible because the defender steps up to stop the obviously most dangerous man in this equation: Jaylen Brown.
With Williams running this play, there's no chance there's this much space left between him and the rim.
But that's going to be the impact of Williams and why he’ll still be part of a high-powered offense. Williams coming back is a threat that will actually open things for everyone else. In this scenario with Williams instead of Kornet, the defender drops further back and Brown gets closer to the rim, drawing more help. I can see either a cleaner look for Brown, or a swing to the corner for an open Sam Hauser, or a swing from Hauser to Grant Williams for an open 3-pointer there.
The opportunities Robert Williams will open up a lot. We can see it on this play too.
First of all, beautiful pass from Brown there. Brown is floating some gorgeous passes out there right now, a real sign of progression from him in that regard. But again, would Robert Williams slice down the middle without much resistance there? I doubt it.
We can already see Grant Williams is wide open.
The question at this point is whether Robert Williams will demand so much attention that Hauser’s man sucks in to stop the dunk. If he does, Williams can catch and kick out to Hauser for an easy 3-pointer.
One play I think will work Williams is the Spain pick-and-roll, and the variations on it Boston runs.
Simply put, the Spain pick-and-roll involves a second screen for the roll man. So here you’ll see Kornet run high pick-and-roll with Derrick White and then Jayson Tatum come up to set a screen on Kornet’s guy.
The timing is a little off on this particular version, but if they run it right, this creates a conundrum for the defense. Just look at where everyone is.
First of all, there are two knockdown shooters in the corner. Can’t leave them, right? Kornet’s screen freed White, who has a lane to the basket. Kornet, thanks to the pick, can roll to the basket. And oh, by the way, Jayson freakin’ Tatum is setting the pick and while everyone is occupied with everyone else he can become an oversight.
With Robert Williams instead of Kornet, the timing of this play gets better and there is no one to forget about on the floor. A steady diet of plays like this, or variations of it, can create even more space on the floor than already exists in Boston’s offense.
I think Kornet’s minutes are informative about what we’ll see when Williams returns, even if the results might not be the same. But all that said, Williams is quick and sly, and the shooting on Boston’s roster right now makes one overreaction somewhere a deadly decision for opposing defenses. Williams will get his chance to do some chin-ups on the rim, too.
We’ll see it happen soon. Hopefully, this plan is close to accurate, and “soon” could mean next weekend.