Robert Williams

Robert Williams

25-Year-Old CenterC
Boston Celtics
2022 Fantasy Outlook
After three modest seasons in Boston, Robert "Time Lord" Williams finally broke out in 2021-22. The human pogo stick exploded for 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game last season -- all career highs. Williams' 134 total blocks were good for third in the Association. He also started all 61 games in which he appeared and added 2.0 dimes per contest while shooting a delightful 73.6 percent from the field. Add respectable free throw shooting, and Williams ranked 24th overall in nine-category rotisserie leagues. With Daniel Theis now in Indiana, Williams could see a slight bump in the 29.6 minutes per contest he played last season. Considering fellow big Al Horford is 36 years old, the C's seem thin at the four and five. There is room for improvement as Williams enters his age 25 season. However, injury woes have dampened his total impact early in his young career. That's continued to start this season, as he underwent knee surgery in September that may cost him some games to start the year. Read Past Outlooks
RANKSFrom Preseason
#109
ADP
$Signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension with the Celtics in August of 2021.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary

Robert Lee Williams III was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1997. He's the son of Robert and Tundra Williams and has one sister, Brittanni. He emerged as a top recruit while playing for coach Ron Meikle at North Caddo High School in Vivian, Louisiana. He came out of high school as the No. 1 ranked recruit in the state. In college at Texas A&M, Williams majored in recreation, park and tourism science. During Williams' rookie seaon, Celtics fans nicknamed Williams the "Time Lord," though GM Danny Ainge preferred "Lob." Follow the big shot blocker via @williams.lll on Instagram and @rob_williamsIII on twitter. Robert Williams played two seasons at Texas A&M before joining the Celtics. For both seasons, Williams was paired with fellow big man Tyler Davis, appearing together in unique two-center lineups for the Aggies. During Williams' freshman season (2016-17), the Aggie started 17 of 31 games, averaging 11.9 points, 8.2 boards and an impressive 2.5 blocks per contest. Williams earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year and Second Team All-SEC accolades. As a sophomore, Williams would start 23 of 30 games, increasing his rebounding (9.2 per game) and his blocks (2.6 per contest). The big man's solid contributions helped Texas A&M reach the Sweet 16 in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Williams ended his sophomore year by garnering Co-SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors as well as USBWA All-District VII accolades.

Productive in limited action
CBoston Celtics
May 28, 2023
Williams chipped in 10 points (4-5 FG, 2-3 FT), seven rebounds and one block over 17 minutes during Saturday's 104-103 victory over the Heat in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
ANALYSIS
Williams started the first two games of the series, but he's operated off the bench since. Overall, he's averaged 9.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 19.7 minutes per game. It's unlikely he plays more than 20 minutes during Game 7, but he's proven capable of submitting quality production in limited action.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Slated for season debut Friday
CBoston Celtics
December 15, 2022
Williams, who has been sidelined all season by a left knee injury, is in line for his season debut Friday against the Magic, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
Williams will add some quality depth to a Celtics' frontcourt that has been short on that front early in the season. However, given the length of his absence, Williams seems a likely candidate to be introduced on a minutes limit and to work his way back to a full-time starting role gradually.
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2021
2020
2019
2018
For the first time in his career, Williams enters the 2021-22 season with the chance to lead the team in center minutes. The three-year veteran has fought through maturity issues and nagging injuries to finally, hopefully, dominate the key for Boston. Williams flashed brief displays of brilliance in 2020-21. For instance, in early April, he posted 20 points, nine boards, eight dimes and two blocks in a win over woeful Houston. In Game 1 of the playoffs versus the Nets, Williams delivered 11 points, nine boards and nine eye-popping blocks. His per-36-minutes line last season was 15.2 points, 13.1 boards and 3.3 blocks. The Celtics would be very happy to receive a hearty fraction of that production. With Daniel Theis in Chicago and Tristan Thompson in Sacramento, the starting center spot is wide open. Sure, Boston brought back 35-year-old Al Horford. But after rough stints in Philly and OKC, it's possible he Big Al will be happy to be a mentor. At his presser this summer, Horford said about Williams "I'm going to be in his ear, and we are going to be figuring things out together." The main thing holding Williams back is his health. Injuries forced the big center to play in only 32 games his rookie year, 29 games in 2019-20 and 52 of 72 games in 2020-21. If Williams can avoid the injury bug, he should experience a break out season in 2021-22.
During the 2019-20 season, The Timelord did not experience the breakout season some expected. A hip injury restricted Williams to only 29 games last season. And now the 23-year-old seems once again stuck at third in the Boston center pecking order, behind last year's starter Daniel Theis and newly signed Tristan Thompson. Thompson, in particular, seems like an upgrade over last year's back-up, Enes Kanter. Should Thompson shine now that he's back with a contender, he could eat into Williams' minutes. Boston would probably be very happy to see Williams simply stay healthy for a full season - he only appeared in 32 games as a rookie in 2018-19. Timelord's athletic defensive approach is unquestioned and valued by head coach Brad Stevens. But Williams will probably need injuries to occur to Theis or Thompson for the Texas product to see significant minutes.
Williams' rookie season was a bit of a roller coaster. Championship aspirations at the start of Boston's season heavily implied that Williams would not see much floor time. Then, when the C's were ready to experiment with Williams, back issues hampered his availability. The result was only 32 NBA games and five G League appearances with the Maine Red Claws. At both levels, the body of work was erratic. At one moment, he's effectively defending Anthony Davis or throwing down monster alley-oop jams. But shortly afterward, Williams would be woefully out of position or aimlessly chasing wild blocks instead of playing solid defense. The departure of Al Horford and Aron Baynes has certainly created an opportunity for the 21-year-old Texas product to earn more minutes at the NBA level. Newly signed Enes Kanter will surely start and play major minutes. But after Kanter, the depth chart is messy, with Williams, third-year veteran Daniel Theis and newly signed Frenchman Vincent Poirier all fighting for minutes. None of those other center options come close to Williams' potential for delivering fantastic rim protection. but all three offer better offensive skills. Expect coach Brad Stevens to change his "first center off the bench" player based on matchups. By virtue of experience, Theis will start the year as the second-string center. But expect lots of experimentation throughout the season. The Timelord will have plenty of opportunities to prove he deserves more than last season's nine minutes per game.
Maturity issues and injury concerns are the perfect cocktail for slipping in the draft, and it’s clear both issues were a factor in Williams dropping all the way to Boston with the 27th pick. The good news is the Celtics don't need Williams to perform right out of the gate. Even if the the Texas A&M product were ready to contribute at the NBA level, he'd be hard-pressed to find minutes on most nights given the Celtics' borderline-laughable level of overall depth. All signs point to Williams essentially redshirting as a rookie and spending the bulk of his time with the Maine Red Claws of the G League. Given his intriguing combination of size and athleticism, Williams is somewhat of an interesting long-term prospect, but he's a long way from being ready to play meaningful NBA minutes.
More Fantasy News
Logs just 18 minutes
CBoston Celtics
May 25, 2023
Williams totaled six points (3-3 FG), four rebounds, one assist and one block over 18 minutes during Thursday's 110-97 victory over Miami in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
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Coming off bench Sunday
CBoston Celtics
May 21, 2023
Williams will not start Sunday's Game 3 against the Heat.
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Perfect from field in loss
CBoston Celtics
May 20, 2023
Williams logged 13 points (5-5 FG, 3-4 FT), three rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal in 23 minutes during Friday's 111-105 loss to the Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
ANALYSIS
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Strong in Thursday's start
CBoston Celtics
May 12, 2023
Williams produced 10 points (4-7 FG, 2-2 FT), nine rebounds, one assist and two blocks across 28 minutes during Thursday's 95-86 victory over the 76ers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
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Confirmed as starter
CBoston Celtics
May 11, 2023
Williams will start Thursday's Game 6 against Philadelphia, Souichi Terada of The Springfield Republican reports.
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