Boston Celtics may not have to sign a superstar center after all

After some trials and errors, the Boston Celtics’ void of a star center may be a thing of the past. They may have better options than they realized.

Even with the addition of Al Horford back in 2016, fans and media surrounding the Boston Celtics ruled that there still would be a gap in rim protection and rebounding. Fast forward through Horford’s tenure in Boston, and to a degree they were right.

During Horford’s final year in Boston, he led the team in rebounds averaging 6.7 per contest. After his departure, Boston’s front office elected to go for a proven glass cleaner, resulting in the signing of Enes Kanter. To date, Kanter hasn’t fully lived up to expectations, but he’s given the Celtics a huge frontcourt presence coming off the bench behind Daniel Theis.

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Though Theis has shown a significant improvement in rebounding and scoring compared to last season, going from 3.4 to 6.6 and 5.7 to 9.3, respectively, it doesn’t amount to the true frontcourt presence needed to match that of the remaining talent that boasts the starting lineup. However, the answer may still already be on the roster.

Robert Williams‘s true ceiling remains to be unknown, though his glimpses of being a constant double-double rebounding machine have shown promise. He was labeled as a steal for the Celtics as he slid to the 27th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Going off of his stats of last season versus this season would be a disservice, as it doesn’t tell the story of his impact on the court.

Williams is known for catching and finishing lobs at a ridiculous height. His athleticism in the frontcourt is a gift that’d been absent from the Celtics for years. He hasn’t seen much playing time this season after dealing with a hip injury that kept him sidelined for three months, but after an unforeseen hiatus due to COVID-19, Williams has returned to his former while also showing signs that he’s even better than before the injury.

On Saturday in Orlando, teammate Marcus Smart went on to praise the young center in terms of his athleticism.

"“No offense to the other guys on our team, but Rob is a different type of freak of nature when it comes to athleticism and ability to go and change shots at the rim,” stated Smart. ”“I mean, the dude’s head is still jumping at the rim, still there. He’s still catching crazy lobs and protecting the rim and moving his feet very well.”"

Smart also talked about Williams’ importance and impact when he’s on the floor.

"“The defense can go up another level,” Smart said. “We’ve got somebody back there that can protect the rim … So that allows us to pick up our pressure a little bit as guards, and really, really, really give the opposing team problems.”"

With budding star Jayson Tatum certain to recieve a max contract at the start of this offseason, the Boston Celtics front office may be a little short on cap space to go after a big name center to fill the void in the starting lineup, but with Williams steadily improving, the need for a superstar center may have already been filled.