Williams will learn under Horford
Williams’ high school coach, Meikle, spent time around C’s All-Star center
Plenty of basketball types will swear that joining a Boston Celtics team that features Al Horford will prove to be extremely beneficial to the team’s lone 2018 draft pick, Robert Williams.
Ron Meikle can offer concrete evidence as to why a Horford-Williams teammate pairing that features two players with the same height (6foot-10) figures to work wonders for the Texas A&M center.
Before diving into the particulars of late first-round picks with a high upside (Williams) and how one of today’s highly skilled big men (Horford) represents an excellent blueprint for Williams to follow, a little background on Meikle. These days, Meikle is a high school girls basketball coach in Tyler, Texas Prior to that, he worked in the scouting department – international and college – for the Atlanta Hawks and was around when Horford was drafted third overall by the Hawks in 2007.
After leaving the pro hoops circuit in 2011, Meikle relocated to Vivian, La. where he became the North Caddo High School boys basketball coach. That’s the same high school that Williams attended.
“I’ll say this: Al Horford is all about winning. Just being around the tradition and the greatness of Boston is going to help any rookie that comes in there with an open mind. Robert will certainly be that,” Meikle said when reached over the weekend while vacationing in his native Wisconsin. “Robert is a bright kid and he certainly catches on quickly. I’m sure he won’t have any problems getting [Celtics coach] Brad Stevens’ playbook down. He also won’t have any pressure because they’re probably going to bring him along slowly. It’s a perfect situation for Robert.”
Williams was a sophomore on the North Caddo High team when Meikle became the head coach. For three years, it was a basketball marriage that produced sweet music on many levels. North Caddo qualified for the Louisiana state playoffs for three straight years and Williams emerged as a blue-chip recruit.
Meikle spent a couple of seconds rattling off the individual accolades that Williams received as a high schooler. “But you probably know all that already,” said Meikle, who also worked for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors as part of his 25-year NBA run.
Meikle then delved into a realm that probably came up when Celtics president Danny Ainge conducted a thorough pre-draft background check on Williams.
“He’s a very loyal teammate and loves being with good guys who care. Plus, he’s a big family person. All those people come first. That’s why the Celtics are a perfect fit,” Meikle said. “I’m really happy with where Robert landed.”
Meikle remembers when Horford joined Atlanta and how the low post was his primary domain. It wasn’t until Horford’s final few seasons with the Hawks when his offensive game stretched out to the 3-point line and he became known as a “point forward.” It took some time for those aforementioned add-ons to bear fruit with Horford, nowadays hailed as one of the model big men in today’s world of positionless basketball.
“Al worked very hard at his game,” Meikle said. “I was very proud when Boston signed him as a free agent and you saw his leadership shine this year with all the young guys around him.”
Coming out of college, the best way to describe Williams on the offensive end is that he’s a catch-and-lob threat. He probably won’t miss too many rim-rocking pass attempts thrown by Kyrie Irving, Terry Rozier, or Horford. That said, his offensive game needs plenty of polish. Expanding his shooting range figures to be high up on Boston’s to-do list, which is where Horford comes in handy.
“Al will have a big part in Robert’s development, no question about it,” Meikle said. “Playing with Kyrie will also be very good because he’ll have a guy who can deliver the ball. Boston is a great passing team and Robert is going to be a direct beneficiary. He’s got very good hands and will have some easy plays to finish.”
Defensively, Williams had very few equals during his two-year stint at Texas A&M, witnessed by his recognition as a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year. The ability to swat shots and grab rebounds figures to endear himself to Stevens as a rim protector.
“I think they were looking for a guy who can come off the bench and play some defense. That’s a good role for him to get his feet wet,” Meikle said. “What Robert does best is guard. He can get out to the 3-point line in a hurry and covers ground very quickly. He’s got great length and I believe his game will blossom at the NBA level.”
If that proves to be the case for Williams, it’ll be pretty obvious to Meikle where the credit should go.