Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from the 2018 offseason
By Kane Pitman
3. Robert Williams is off to a shaky start in Boston
With the 27th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics selected talented big man Robert Williams out of Texas A&M. In many circles, Williams was projected to go earlier in the first round, though concerns over his mentality and off-court behavior likely led to him falling in the Celtics’ lap.
As SportingNews.com reported, what has transpired over the six weeks post-draft could only be described as….well, not ideal:
- Williams first missed his introductory press conference after supposed time difference confusion led to him oversleeping.
- Then, in the lead-up to NBA Summer League, Williams missed his flight and as a result, was not present at the Celtics’ first practice.
Remember, both incidents came in his first month as an NBA player.
As it turns out, he also lost his wallet twice in that period, which may have indeed been the cause of the missed flight. With Celtics staffers already being sent out to track down his wallet on multiple occasions, Williams came up with a novel idea to ensure it won’t happen again.
“I got to start gluing it to my phone or something,” he suggested.
Unfortunately for Williams, Summer League didn’t provide an uptick in fortune, as he suited up in just one game before being shutdown with a reported bruised knee. MassLive later reported that he also suffers from an artery condition in both legs called Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome (PAES). The condition restricts blood flow to the lower legs and can cause excessive pain and cramping. By all reports, the Celtics were aware of the condition pre-draft, and don’t expect it to be a major issue moving forward.
The Celtics knew they were picking up a player with some question marks on draft night, but they probably didn’t expect the beginnings to be this rocky. Nonetheless, it is only July, and opening night is still three months away for the unquestionably talented big man.
In the meantime, let’s look at ESPN‘s Jonathan Givony’s tweet below from draft night. It can only go up from here right?
Danny Ainge does it again. The rich get richer, as the Celtics add the #12 player in the ESPN 100 all the way down at #27. Concerns about his off-court habits, and some question marks about his knee, sunk Robert Williams' stock, but this might end up being the steal of the draft.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 22, 2018