Robert Williams III could return to the Celtics this weekend, just three weeks after undergoing meniscus surgery on his left knee. He would cement a Boston squad already ahead 2-0 on the Brooklyn Nets in their first round series as heavy favorites to close the series out and compete for a championship this spring.
Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday night at 7:30 EST, and Shams Charania reported Williams III could suit up for either that game or Game 4 on Monday night in Brooklyn. Ime Udoka announced at practice on Thursday that Williams III would travel with the team after participating in contact drills, three-on-three and four-on-four action this week.
“He’s jumped up his level of activity as far as rehab, but not practicing with the team,” Udoka said on Thursday. “You can’t really emulate the game, but he’s starting to do more contact work and getting out there playing a little bit of three-on-three, four-on-four. As much as we are going through things, walk through, we want to get the guys who are going to be on the court the reps. There’s no need to put him in there with us for walkthrough-like activities, so he’s doing his thing outside of the group.”
Williams would arrive at the perfect time for the Celtics, still needing to stave off a Nets team that they edged on a final-second basket in Game 1 before overcoming a 17-point deficit to win Game 2. A series that’s felt like all Boston actually played out closer than it appeared so far. Daniel Theis starting in Williams’ place played into the tight margins, the Nets able to inflict foul trouble on Theis in both games and target him in isolation to get Kyrie Irving going on his way to 39 points in Game 1. Al Horford picked up the slack by posting 21 points and 15 rebounds in Game 1 over 40 minutes, before Grant Williams hit all four shots and played excellent defense in rotation in the Game 2 victory.
The Celtics outscored opponents by 10 points per 100 possessions with Williams on the floor this season, and built even larger margins while winning 22-of-25 games he played in before he tore his meniscus against the Timberwolves on Mar. 27. Williams quickly underwent surgery to remove, rather than repair, the tear on Mar. 30, a successful surgery that Boston immediately felt optimistic would put their star center on track to return on the low end of a 4-6 week recovery prognosis. This Wednesday will mark four weeks.
Williams progressed through stationary, two-a-day rehab sessions within days of surgery, progression to some on-court basketball drills past the two week mark and walking with some spring in his step late last week at the end of practice. Udoka asserted the whole way, though, that the Celtics did not expect to have Williams back in this series.
Udoka left the door open speaking with CLNS Media in Chicago, though, if Williams felt comfortable enough. He’s yet to practice with the full team, and this week began his live action on the side. Swelling reduction ranked high among various factors needed to return, while the Celtics almost certainly want Williams to be conditioned, integrated and close to playing like himself to reenter the equation. Especially after Boston played perfect team defense on Kevin Durant in the first two games.
Reports also teased Brooklyn’s adjustment through addition, Charania reporting late this week that Ben Simmons also plans to make his Nets debut at Barclays Center into next week. If his rehab goes as planned, he’ll play in Game 4, marking his first NBA game since last June and first since the trade in February that brought him to Brooklyn.
Williams and Simmons could feasibly guard each other, back in their respective starting lineups for what could become a swing Game 4, or an elimination game for a Nets team facing a sweep.
“I can make a big impact in terms of just being vocal on the floor and helping my teammates and being a leader on (the defensive) side of the court,” Simmons said at Brooklyn’s practice on Friday.
