Boston Celtics big man Robert Williams has been well-established as a high-flyer by now, and his teammates seem to enthusiastically enjoy finding him for lobs around the rim.
Are any of them too wild testing Williams’ 7-foot-6 wingspan and live-wire vertical leap?
“I would really say it’s [Jaylen Brown],” Williams said, chuckling. “He’s the only one that throw the ball a little bit any type of way.”
Sure enough, in Boston’s 117-112 win over the Clippers on Tuesday, Brown threw perhaps the only pass too difficult for Williams to handle.
Rob Williams says of his lob-throwing teammates, Jaylen is the only one who "throws the ball any which way."
An example from tonight: pic.twitter.com/CS0accKM0z
— Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) March 3, 2021
The rest of the evening, Williams was excellent. He finished with 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting, with eight rebounds, four assists, and three blocked shots.
More importantly, he played a big role down the stretch. In the final seconds, Williams pulled down both an offensive and defensive rebound — one that drained more time off the clock, and one that gave him a chance to boost Boston’s lead when he was fouled. He also found Jayson Tatum late with an entry pass, setting up an important basket.
“He’s on a great trajectory, really helping us,” Stevens said. “One of the things about Rob that sometimes does not get talked about enough is that he’s a competitor. He wants to win, he plays hard, goes after rebounds, and he’s learning how to take advantage of what he does best at both ends of the floor.”
What Williams does best might be difficult to nail down. He can swat shots and catch lobs, but his passing continues to impress and opens up his offense in interesting ways. He can collapse the defense passing high-low, and he’s equally adept at kicking out to the perimeter when he catches the ball in the paint.
Kemba Walker, of course, loves the dunks.
Human highlight reel ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/BG5445yjdT
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 3, 2021
“It’s the best part about it, to be honest,” Walker said. “I love it, being able to put the ball anywhere and Rob is going to get it. That kid, man, he’s unbelievably talented. He’s just improving every single day and he’s huge for our team, especially over the course of the last couple of games. He’s been amazing to watch, he’s been amazing to be on the court with.”
Stevens said last month the Celtics are keeping Williams’ minutes down now in an attempt to keep his hip healthy for the postseason. For that reason, Williams might not see a significant uptick in minutes even as he impresses.
Still, Williams has plenty of confidence. He was asked if he has been surprised by his recent rise.
“I’m not surprising myself at all because I know what I’m capable of,” Williams said. “Like I said, it’s being out there, getting the time, not necessarily focusing on making the perfect play every time, you know what I’m saying? Just playing your game.”
Jaylen Brown said the Celtics are continuing to push Williams.
“But in terms of where he started at to where he’s at now, the sky’s the limit,” Brown said. “He’s going to continue to get better, and the more we put him on the floor, I think the better he’s going to get.”
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