Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III missed the start to the 2022-23 season rehabbing an injured knee, but the All-Defensive big man has wasted no time making an immediate impact upon his return to the court. Williams is posting his most efficient numbers from the field for his career while providing a needed boost to Boston on offense and on defense.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla leaned heavily on Derrick White as a defacto starter when Robert Williams was unavailable this fall. White has logged 34 starts in 41 games at the time of this writing. That has encouraged a starting lineup for much of the season that includes Marcus Smart and Derrick White in the backcourt, with Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Al Horford in the frontcourt.
Now that Timelord is back, the obvious question has been whether or not he will eventually retake his place with the rest of the starters.
Williams started in all 61 regular season games he played in last season. Given Boston’s dominance a year ago, it seems like a clear decision, and calls to re-insert Williams into the starting lineup have grown louder.
It may, in fact, be wiser to keep the Texas A&M alum coming off the bench. Robert Williams should not be starting for the Boston Celtics. At least not yet.
Finishing games matters more
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The most obvious reason Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics should not be starting Williams is that the club needs him in the fourth quarter much, much more than they need him in the first.
“Whether (Williams) starts or comes off the bench, just want him on the floor, want him healthy, and want to be with him on the floor at the same time as much as possible,” Jayson Tatum explained on Saturday.
The Louisiana native is reportedly no longer on a minutes restriction, but the team is managing his rehab cautiously. As such, his playing time on any given night will be closely monitored, and he’s unlikely to play in back-to-back games anytime soon.
Timelord is also unlikely to log big minutes on any given night. Conditioning (and health) have always been a concern for the big man. Last season Williams averaged 29.9 minutes per game, by far the highest mark of his career.
Take Boston’s recent game against the Bulls, for example. This represented the oft-injured big’s first start for the season, which came in part via an injury to Marcus Smart. Williams played 23 minutes on the night and looked quite good. But he also appeared a little out of breath and was subbed out for the night with 8 minutes to play in the fourth.
It’s possible or even probable Williams won’t be able to play more than 20-22 minutes a night for the foreseeable future, to the benefit of both his conditioning and his knee rehab. Letting Williams start his night on the bench so he has more gas in the tank for crunch time will help the big man manage his own expectations and preserve his unique talents.
It’s not that Timelord shouldn’t be playing with the starters. It’s just that insisting that he begin games on the court makes it much less likely he’ll be out there when the club needs him the most.
Boston needs help elsewhere
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The Celtics are among the most potent first-quarter teams in the NBA this season, an accolade they’ve earned predominantly with Robert Williams out of the lineup entirely. Boston has been one of the best in the league at starting out strong right from the jump.
The Celts rank third in first-quarter points scored. They rank fourth in first-quarter rebounding. They’re fourth in defensive rating in that frame in the league and fifth in first-quarter offensive rating.
In short, Boston’s default starting lineup this season has been spectacular.
Fourth quarters are a little less glamorous for Mazzulla’s Celtics, however, which is exactly why the team needs a fresh Timelord later in games. Boston drops to ninth in fourth-quarter defensive rating and 10th in offensive rating for the final frame. They’re 14th in points scored and 25th in rebounding.
Even ignoring the effect garbage time can have on a winning team’s fourth-quarter stats, anecdotally even the most passionate fans know Boston can make things needlessly interesting when trying to close games. A rested and ready Williams may be the perfect antidote.
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Story originally appeared on Celtics Wire