Boston Celtics players who need to step up after Robert Williams injury

Boston Celtics players who need to step up after Robert Williams injury: Aaron Nesmith

As mentioned, Ime Udoka usually runs a seven-or-eight-man rotation consisting of the starters Grant Williams, Derrick White, and lately, Payton Pritchard.

But with one of the starters out, it’s going to take the effort of multiple people to cover for him. And while Daniel Theis will likely take over some of the open center minutes, so will Grant Williams.

And if Williams is spending more time at the big man spot, that opens up some minutes at the forward position and on the wing. That’s where second-year guy Aaron Nesmith comes in.

Nesmith got the start and played nearly 39 minutes in Boston’s recent loss to the Toronto Raptors. That was obviously an exception since both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were out, expect him to get an uptick in minutes in the following weeks.

For the first half of the season, Nesmith was behind Tatum, Brown, Josh Richardson, and even Romeo Langford in the rotation. And even after the trade deadline, he wasn’t a part of Udoka’s top-seven, or even top-eight or nine.

But now, he’ll get the chance to play more minutes, and they’re going to be some very important minutes, too. If Nesmith can start hitting his shots and continue to play the great hustle defense he is known for, the Celtics will be in a good spot.