With the first round of the playoffs set to begin next week, the Celtics have been cautiously optimistic about the return of starting center Robert Williams.
Although, Williams’s rehab seems to be moving ahead of schedule, Boston still isn’t expecting to have him for its first playoff series, according to coach Ime Udoka.
During a press conference Wednesday, Udoka gave an update on Williams’s recovery from surgery on a torn meniscus in his left knee, saying that he expects to see the 24-year-old center back on the court “sooner, than later.” However, he explained that the Celtics are going into the first round of the playoffs with the mindset that the team will be without its young big man.
“We haven’t looked at him being here for the first round, honestly,” Udoka said, per NBC Sports Boston. “A 4-to-6 week time frame is what it is, and everybody reacts differently to surgeries.”
“But if possible, we haven’t really ruled him out … if he’s ready, but we’re going in with the mindset that he won’t be there for the first round.”
After undergoing a procedure last Monday, Williams’s timetable for a return was expected to be around four-to-six weeks per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The timeline made it possible for him to return to the lineup as soon as the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Williams is in his fourth season with the Celtics after being selected in the first round of the 2018 NBA draft. He is averaging a career-high 10 points and 9.6 rebounds per game this season, while shooting an impressive 73.6% from the field. Williams has also served as Boston’s defensive anchor and has been a major reason for the team’s success in the latter half of the campaign.
The Celtics (49–30) currently find themselves in a three-way tie with the Bucks and the 76ers for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with three regular season games remaining.
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