Celtics ‘Ime Udoka Sends Message About Robert Williams Match Status

Getty

Robert Williams of the Boston Celtics.

Ever since Robert Williams III tore his meniscus on March 27, Boston Celtics fans have wondered when the young midfielder will return to the field. A torn meniscus is difficult to assess in recovery because it depends on how bad the tear is. When Daniel Theis tore his meniscus in March 2018, the Celtics shut him down for the rest of the season – Note: he tore his meniscus at an earlier date in the 2018 season than with Williams’ season – but there seems to be reasonable optimism that Williams hasn’t finished for the year.

While Williams was not considered out of season, Ime Udoka doesn’t seem too optimistic on whether Timelord will go back in time for the Celtics’ first series against the Brooklyn Nets.

Obviously, the Celtics have to be cautious here with Williams both because of his injury history and best of all they won’t make his meniscus tear any worse than it currently is. Fun fact: Timelord has reached a career peak in games played this season with a total of 61, which is encouraging as well as terrifying for Boston. So while his healthy streak for most of the season has played a role in their rapid progress, it’s best for them not to risk his status as a long-term player. . Given his impact and his youth, his prowess is much more than just the beginning.

However, if they truly believe he will be healed and ready to go with no setbacks in time for the Nets series, then by all means, they have every right to play him.

No Robert Williams can spell trouble for the Celtics

There have been many conflicting stories around when and whether Williams will return to the ring. No one knows for sure when Timelord will return, or, even if he does, what impact he will have on the floor. There are a lot of unknown factors attached to his name alone, which explains why many people believe that the Nets can relieve their sadness.

A pretty good statistic from Matt Moore of Action Network will likely catch the eye of Celtics fans everywhere.

These stats are admittedly misleading – which Moore points out and then some – in part because the Celtics are such a hugely different team between the season that started and when it ended. However, it does raise some concerns about how much better the Celtics have been with Williams on the floor than when he has been unavailable since Williams’ return date remains murky.

Again, because of the different times when those stats are accumulated, it’s difficult to really gauge what they mean for Boston’s upcoming series against Brooklyn. But if this series turns out to be as tough for Boston as some think, stats like these could explain why.

Al Horford and Daniel Theis should do well together

If things aren’t clear enough, the loss of Robert Williams III is a blow to Boston’s hopes of moving on. Fortunately, without him by his side is not the end of the world. Going up against Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will be a challenge, but the starting lineup is likely to be Al Horford and Daniel Theis of Boston to complete the task.

The sample size isn’t too big, but it’s large enough to be comfortable for the Celtics fan base. According to NBA.com, Horford and Theis’ two-man lineup has an offensive stat of 127.9 points per 100 possessions while a defensive stat of 94.7 points per 100 possessions. Overall, the two have a net rating of 33.2 points out of 100 when they share the court. That’s the highest actual rating of any Celtics two-man squad that have been on the field together for 100 minutes or more.

The two of them could get their hands on the Nets, but they wouldn’t be easy for Brooklyn to exploit.