FanPost

Everybody Hatin' on Robert Williams

DK1K5m0UEAA2lpt.0.jpg
I feel like Robert Williams has become the scapegoat, the classic disappointment, the odd man out. Hard to blame fans, though. He missed his first conference call. He missed his first Summer League practice. He got hurt 5 minutes into his 1st televised stint of basketball. It was such a letdown! As a basketball fan of a team that prides itself on hard work, reliability, and dependability, Robert Williams did not prove that he belongs just yet. Everyone just says "Ship him to Maine! This Celtics roster doesn't have space for him. They have games to win." Fans think that he doesn't have it to work and make his way on this roster. At the same time, the things I have heard about Robert Williams the person shows that he does belong.

I don't think I have come across a prospect an universally loved by the people he came across as Robert Williams. Not respected, not feared, but genuinely loved. His teammates and coaches always have his back. Tyler Davis, his former teammate, mentioned that Williams' care for others is genuine and that his locker room presence is going to be "good for those guys" on the Celtics. His former coach also recounted a story of how Williams made sure that everybody got to a service project on time, driving around with his with his mom that everybody was at school to go. He's a good kid with a good heart. He's going to do whatever he needs to do to win. That's a Brad Stevens kinda guy.

On to the basketball court, everybody looks at Williams' deficiencies above all else. By deficiencies, though, people mostly just mean his shooting. It's not really a secret. He doesn't really have a game beyond a couple feet. Seeing that we've roasted Ben Simmons for so long about it, it's almost wrong to be optimistic about Robert Williams and still hate on Big Benny. What most people don't pay attention to is Williams' actual skills on the court. At the rim, he is an absolute beast. Among bigs last season, Williams was in the 98th percentile at the rim. This is especially impressive given the fact that he played PF alongside another big who couldn't shoot that well. Taht shows that he could still produce at a super-elite college level, even in non-ideal conditions. This ability to finish at the rim was not there last season, where the Celtics ranked no better than 23rd in 2PT attempts, makes, and percentage. This leads me to my final point on Robert Williams.

Brad Stevens will change the offense for Robert Williams. Yeah, you heard it right. A rookie, of all people, will alter Brad Stevens' playbook. You see, when your team is 2nd in 3PT%, but 25th and 17th in 2PT% and FT%, you're going to play like that. There will be an emphasis on pace and space because the 3 ball is the preferred mode of scoring. When you get a player who was one of the best scorers at the rim in college, you don't have to play like that anymore. It can open up the playbook for more actions at the rim. They say the rim and the 3PT line are the most efficient area. What's important to note is that it is the rim and the 3PT line IN THAT ORDER, that are the most efficient. The best part is that this is all just a part of the package. This is the known part of Robert Williams, along with the defense and playmaking abilities that will cement his role on this Celtics team.

Do I think he's getting 20 a night from day 1? Not really. There's a lot to learn in the NBA and that takes time. I think the people who say that he should have bought his apartment in Maine rather than in Boston are mistaken. Williams is here to play. He's here to play in the NBA and he has the unique skills that the Celtics needed yesterday.

FanPosts are fan-created content and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CelticsBlog. Be respectful and keep it clean. Thanks.