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According to Jeff Goodman, Robert Williams may have slid down the draft boards to No. 27 due to his medical records, or lack thereof. The newest member of the Boston Celtics did not participate in the combine, which prevented many teams from getting his medical info. There seemed to be some concern last night over a potential knee injury.
Multiple teams were concerned and calling around last night about potential knee injury. Williams was also, according to multiple sources, not in great shape. One source close to Williams: “He just needs structure. Boston might have been the best place for him to end up." https://t.co/3D8Gfonrw0
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 22, 2018
Williams and the Celtics had an interesting start to their first Friday together, as the team couldn’t get in contact with their new big-man for his 11 AM EST conference call. It turned out to be just a miscommunication, as the 6-10 forward was on the line just an hour later. When asked about missing the first call, he said that he went to his aunt’s house after the pick last night and went straight to bed because he was so tired from everything. He was informed by his sister this morning about the conference call.
Despite poor audio on the call, Williams preached his love for defense and what he can bring to the Celtics.
#Celtics rookie Robert Williams: I love defense. I feel the Celtics are all about defense. I like the excitement of making defensive stops. I definitely believe that brings a lot of energy.
— Scott Souza (@Scott_Souza) June 22, 2018
He’ll fit right in with that frame of mind, in addition to learning from veteran big-man Al Horford. When asked about working with the Celtics center, Williams sounded very excited. “Horford is a great example. A great vet. He leads everyone, so I’m happy to be around him.” Williams then added that he’s excited to have ended up with such a “great organization”.
The Louisiana native was also asked if he has something to prove, and answered confidently by saying, “You always have people that doubt you.” Williams added that he knows that he’ll “make a lot of noise when (he) gets up (to Boston).”
The biggest takeaway from today’s conference call was William’s preferences over his name. After Danny Ainge was heard calling him Bob last night, there was plenty of debate online, but Williams settled that on Friday. He does not like to be called Bob. Williams prefers Rob or Robert.