Recently operated on his left knee, Robert Williams III will be out between 8 and 12 weeks. A much longer downtime than originally announced. Decidedly, the news is rarely good these days on the side of Boston…
The Leprechaun and the clover, symbols of the Celtics franchise, would they have stopped working in Massachusetts? For a few weeks now, disasters have been falling on Boston non-stop. Danilo Gallinari supposed to strengthen the bench of the finalist? Broke by a serious injury and unavailable for the duration. Ime Udoka, the first coach to bring Boston to the final since 2010? Suspended and maybe even fired soon if rumors are to be believed. To this already ugly picture was added the recent operation of Robert Williams III. In order to repair once and for all his left knee, injured at the end of last season, the interior had decided to return to the pool table. His absence was estimated between 4 and 6 weeks. Well, not great that he misses the training camp, the preseason and maybe even the start of the recovery but it was still correct. And now we learn today that the duration of the player’s absence will ultimately be 8 to 12 weekspotentially double what… Decidedly, Beantown no longer has the right to happiness.
#NEBHInjuryReport Robert Williams underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure to remove loose bodies and address swelling in his left knee. Williams is expected to return to basketball activities in 8-12 weeks.
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 23, 2022
So at best, RW III will be back for November 20th and at worst it will push until almost Christmas? Two months of competition without its titular pivot and one of its defensive pillars, nice to start the season… Joe Mazzulla, newly appointed interim coach, will therefore have to tinker from the start of his mandate. Logically, Grant Williams should join the starting five with Al Horford temporarily settling at the pivotal position. Who to replace him? Luke Kornet? The Celtics do not really have depth in position 5 and Brad Stevens will probably have to get someone to play backups. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has previously mentioned LaMarcus Aldridge as a potential backup option, as has Dwight Howard. On paper, D12’s profile is closer to what Williams could bring, but nothing seems settled in this case, especially since there are still many pivots available on the market (DeMarcus Cousins, Hassan Whiteside). Which will win the bet?
Robert Williams III was successfully operated on and he treated himself to a longer than expected stay in the infirmary… Gray mine in Boston, will the good news come back one day?
Source texte : Boston Celtics / @celtics