It’s all about staying on court for Williams
Brad Stevens often discusses the progression of a season with his wife Tracy, and where last year’s struggle was concerned, the mention of one name in particular was guaranteed to produce a momentary ray of 2020-21 sunlight. Rob Williams was a highlight in a season that didn’t have enough of them. Stevens recently referred to his young center’s development as “an example of finding joy in the process.”
“I said one of the constants for me was how much I enjoyed Rob, how much I enjoyed his growth,” said the Celtics’ president of basketball operations. “I think he’s on that trajectory, and on that path forward.
“You know, you wanted him to be here. It was important for him to be a Celtic, he likes being a Celtic, he cares about winning, he’s a hard worker. He’s a guy we want to have as a part of this and we’re excited we could do that.”
Stevens is talking about the commitment that soon followed in the form of a four-year, $54 million extension on Williams’ rookie contract. Beyond rewarding the 24-year-old for his flashes of immense talent and growth, the Celtics were betting that after playing a career-high 52 games in 2020-21, Williams would eventually outgrow his propensity for tough-luck injuries.
Sure enough, a debilitating case of turf toe truncated his playoff experience, but not before Williams kicked off the Celtics’ first round series against Brooklyn with an 11-point, 5-for-8, nine-rebound, nine-block Game 1 performance.
Ime Udoka, who was on the Nets bench last season, has talked often about how radical the difference was with Williams on the floor.
Williams’ greatest challenge now may not even be his improvement on the floor so much as his ability to stay on it.
“He’s a young guy we do want to build his role and minutes overall, and a big part of that is staying healthy, so we’re on him about lifting the weights, getting his treatment, take care of himself off the court as well as what we ask him to do on the court,” said the Celtics coach. “He’s been great so far, we know what he brings to the table, as I mentioned, it’s just a matter of him staying healthy. A lot of that has to do with just luck at times.”
Worry over negotiations
Williams was admittedly worried during extension negotiations, with his injury history a potential deal-breaker.
“It’s a business, with everything coming into play.
I was worried, but I also knew what I brought to the table,” he said. “They knew where my mind was, and that I wanted to stay.”
On media day Williams said he had learned to trust his trainers. Sometimes it takes time for a young professional athlete to understand what it means to occasionally pull out of the fast lane.
“The bad luck you can’t do anything about. But the misnomer is that young guys can go all day,” said Stevens. “The reality is when you look at it from the perspective of being in the NBA, and the load that it takes, and how much you’re putting on your body, it’s something when you’re 19 to 23, you’re not as equipped to handle it as men who have been through it, and you get into the mid-20s and above.
“Those are things we were very cognizant of with him, as has been well-documented, with regard to even last year at this time, early in the season,” he said. “But as he gets older and further away from those things, I just think, knock on wood, we don’t have any concerns or big concerns moving forward with that. We’re excited about who he is as a basketball player, and we think he can continue to reach higher and higher.”
And in truth, Williams says, he never actually distrusted his trainers.
“I trusted them from Day 1. I had tendinitis when I first got drafted and they took me through the process and helped me get over that, so I always trusted them from Day 1,” he said. “It all comes down to trust. Every injury I’ve had since I got drafted, they always came up with a plan, a nice solid plan and I bounced back every time.”
Staying patient
The result now is a development almost as important as his growth. After missing 50 games as a rookie and another 43 his second season, Williams has completed a master class in patience. “When I sat down for the hip injury (in 2019-20), that helped me to learn to keep my spirits up,” he said. “Not just for me but others too. I learned that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Nobody wants to go through the rehabbing process, or be in the injury list. But you have to stick to it.
“I feel like last year was obviously a big year for me — mostly just being comfortable on the court,” said Williams. “The greatest is yet to come, as I always tell myself. Everything is going to get better, and you work on all aspects of your game. Last year just made a big difference in my sense of being comfortable.
“My teammates and my coaches did a great job of it. I give them 90 percent of the credit and 10 percent to myself. Like I tell these guys all the time, whether you make or miss shots, you don’t know how much words push people sometimes. I commend my teammates as much as myself for helping me get more comfortable.”
The returns of Al Horford and Enes Kanter are like a down quilt in that respect. Horford was Williams’ first Celtics mentor, and Kanter was a tough sparring partner. Williams still talks about his glee the night Kanter grabbed 30 rebounds last season in Portland.
“If you can’t learn something from that ... ,” said Williams, imagining his own 30-rebound night, provided he stays on the floor long enough to get there.