Yup, guy can't stay healthy.I believe it was his ankle, not his play. He was leading the team in assists at one point late in the second quarter.
Questionable tomorrow with the ankle.
Yup, guy can't stay healthy.I believe it was his ankle, not his play. He was leading the team in assists at one point late in the second quarter.
Agree that it’s a concern, but on the plus side, these aren’t typical “broken big man” issues. Guess we’ll see.Somebody having a couple of freak, very low probability injuries is just bad luck (e.g. Gordon Hayward). I think that is different than someone routinely missing games because of injury issues despite playing, still, fairly limited minutes. I've enjoyed the progress TL has made this year - but maybe he really is never going to be a big part of the rotation. Just seems like he can't stay on the court.
Yeah if this were foot or back stuff, I'd be worried. Rolling an ankle is predictive on nothing really.Agree that it’s a concern, but on the plus side, these aren’t typical “broken big man” issues. Guess we’ll see.
I do think the “always being hurt a bit” thing is likely predictive of something, even if it’s not Oden-style stuff.Yeah if this were foot or back stuff, I'd be worried. Rolling an ankle is predictive on nothing really.
He's pretty close to already being one. He's tied for 8th in MPG on the team. Granted some (maybe even most) of that could be due to injury.but maybe he really is never going to be a big part of the rotation.
He played 10 min. when he was supposedly “hurt” against the Warriors. Theis and Kanter were both active as well. I agree he’s had a lot of minor injuries but how is that not “staying on the court”?Just seems like he can't stay on the court.
With the 4/5 players they can run out there at center, I think any time one has a hangnail they're going to get a night off if at all possible.We're 11 games into the season, and he already has had two different injuries that kept him out of the game, and a 3rd which forced him to leave the game.
call it Celtic style load mgmt at the 5With the 4/5 players they can run out there at center, I think any time one has a hangnail they're going to get a night off if at all possible.
I always have thought of the "injury prone" label as something that is applied entirely post-hoc to a player who happens to have had several injuries, rather than something that is predictive. I imagine it is a complex mixture of both, though.I do think the “always being hurt a bit” thing is likely predictive of something, even if it’s not Oden-style stuff.
I'm sure there are some things that lead to players being more injured than others - style of play is of course one, but players surely differ in their flexibility, bone density, how they train themselves in the offseason and during the season, etc., etc. There's always fluke stuff, of course - I'd put bone breaks in that category for professional athletes most of the time. Of course, for older people having one break is HIGHLY predictive of having another one. Maybe it's predictive for younger people, too. No idea.I always have thought of the "injury prone" label as something that is applied entirely post-hoc to a player who happens to have had several injuries, rather than something that is predictive. I imagine it is a complex mixture of both, though.
Stevens was not happy with the stretch in which Williams took a mid range jumper, fouled someone, and then passed the ball out of bounds. He has established himself this year as (at this point) a rotation big and probable future starter, which is more than I expected him to achieve this quickly.That was an exciting play but there were a number of rookie mistakes as well. When I see those mistakes my thought isn't "Get him off the floor", it's "Get him more playing time" because he seems loaded with potential.
He seemed a little more confident handling the ball than usual. Normally he looks like he's trying to dispose of a bomb, when it swings to him. The downside to that was a couple of shitty turnovers, but I didn't have a problem with the 16 footer. Bigs take that shot every once in a while when the other guys are dragging balls on a possession. Theis, Baynes, even Poirier has this year.Stevens was not happy with the stretch in which Williams took a mid range jumper, fouled someone, and then passed the ball out of bounds. He has established himself this year as (at this point) a rotation big and probable future starter, which is more than I expected him to achieve this quickly.
How tall is he actually? I’ve seen 6-8 but also 6-10. He plays more like the latter and the former is pretty damn small for a 5, wingspan notwithstanding. Was he still growing when he came out of college?I guess being 6-8 with the arms of a 7-2 guy has its perks when it comes to quickness and body control.
The Celtics listed him as 6' 8'' without shoes before the season.How tall is he actually? I’ve seen 6-8 but also 6-10. He plays more like the latter and the former is pretty damn small for a 5, wingspan notwithstanding. Was he still growing when he came out of college?
Yeah, 6-8 is official. His standing reach at the combine was 9-4 though. For reference, Capela is 9-5 and Gobert is 9-7.The Celtics listed him as 6' 8'' without shoes before the season.
View: https://twitter.com/BDCCeltics/status/1180927504967720963/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1180927504967720963&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.boston.com%2Fsports%2Fboston-celtics%2F2019%2F10%2F06%2Fceltics-release-official-heights-and-weights-tacko-fall
Yes, but he had to be happy with RW hustling back down the floor and blocking the Tyler Johnson jump shot, which is a play not a lot of guys can make given how far behind the play he started.Stevens was not happy with the stretch in which Williams took a mid range jumper, fouled someone, and then passed the ball out of bounds. He has established himself this year as (at this point) a rotation big and probable future starter, which is more than I expected him to achieve this quickly.
This is really true. The guy can be very electric. He still tends to disappear sometimes, but I think the Celtics have to be absolutely thrilled at where he's at, considering he's a raw big man early in his second season. He's looking more like a lottery pick.Man, when TL is playing well, mistakes and all, he really brings an extra dimension to the team.
Two steps forward and one step back for Time Lord. That makes for some frustrating moments, but the signs of progress are undeniable.This is really true. The guy can be very electric. He still tends to disappear sometimes, but I think the Celtics have to be absolutely thrilled at where he's at, considering he's a raw big man early in his second season. He's looking more like a lottery pick.
But the flip side is that he is an atrocious defensive player. Yesterday, when he came in in the first half, the floodhates opened and Stevens had to get him out of there as Denver's lead doubled. He was much better in the second half, until Denver targeted him during cruch time to win it. He's still a guy who needs a limited role.Man, when TL is playing well, mistakes and all, he really brings an extra dimension to the team. It's like seeing into the future and wanting it to be here sooner.
OK, he's terrific except for the minor fact that the Celtics as a team get abused by opposing offenses whenever he's on the floor."Atrocious" feels harsh. He has trouble staying in front of people, and that's annoying, especially with his quickness. He's still prone to leaving his feet early. But his shot-blocking ability gets into other players' heads, and he can bother shots out near the arc. 538 has him fourth on the Celtics in defensive plus/minus (+1.3). They have Smart (+2.8), Theis and Brown in the top three, which seems about right (you might argue with Tatum at #5, but Edwards is near the bottom at -1.6, and Kanter is -0.6 and Poirier -1.2, and that all seems correct).
This should be a SoSH wordBut the flip side is that he is an atrocious defensive player. Yesterday, when he came in in the first half, the floodhates opened and Stevens had to get him out of there
I don’t know how many minutes are needed before you can get a meaningful sample size for on/off stats, but I’m pretty sure it’s orders of magnitude greater than 184.OK, he's terrific except for the minor fact that the Celtics as a team get abused by opposing offenses whenever he's on the floor.
Looking at ratings on Cleaning the Glass, which eliminates garbage time, the Celtics offense has been very good with Williams in (at +13.7 points per 100 possessions) he's the highest rated Celtics by this measure) and the Celtics defense has been very bad (-14.7 points per 100 possessions). He's the worst Celtic for opponents eFG and offensive rebounding rate. In the halfcourt offense, with Willaims, opponents offensive rebound rate is 10% higher (making Williams one of the worst bigs in the league by this metric) and opponents have a field day with putback attempts and points after a missed shot. His percentiles are mostly <10%, making him worse than at 90% of his fellow bigs on most of these metrics.
I think 'atrocious' is more than fair.
(SSS aside on using advanced metrics at this point in the season)OK, he's terrific except for the minor fact that the Celtics as a team get abused by opposing offenses whenever he's on the floor.
Looking at ratings on Cleaning the Glass, which eliminates garbage time, the Celtics offense has been very good with Williams in (at +13.7 points per 100 possessions) he's the highest rated Celtics by this measure) and the Celtics defense has been very bad (-14.7 points per 100 possessions). He's the worst Celtic for opponents eFG and offensive rebounding rate. In the halfcourt offense, with Willaims, opponents offensive rebound rate is 10% higher (making Williams one of the worst bigs in the league by this metric) and opponents have a field day with putback attempts and points after a missed shot. His percentiles are mostly <10%, making him worse than at 90% of his fellow bigs on most of these metrics.
I think 'atrocious' is more than fair.
His STL% last year was 1.5%, it's 2.9% right now. His block % is way down though, from 12.5% to 7.8%. 7.8% is still amazing though.I like the fact that TL seems to be very active in deflecting passes this season. He seems to have quick hands, and obviously long arms, which leads to him having some impact on the defensive end besides blocking shots. I've also been impressed with his passing this season - which is not something I would have predicted.
Yeah, totally—that’s why I emphasized seeing the future and wanting it to be now already.I should say. As bad as I think he is on defense right now, I don't think it's something he can't learn with time. I mostly like the way Brad has gotten him minutes and I don;t disagree that there is a legit talent there.
The Celtics 2020 first round pick, and the Bucks 2020 first round pick.(SSS aside on using advanced metrics at this point in the season)
*What would you give up for Mitchell Robinson? He has not been starting recently and for some reason has fallen into Coach Fiz doghouse. It's the Knicks, you never know.
Is it obvious that he’ll be better than TL, especially wrt the offensive end? Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have MR as well, but you’re going to have to pay him after the rookie deal, and you really can’t pay 2 5s in the modern NBA. I’d way rather go after Baynes’ age 34 year for the time period when MR is cheap.The Celtics 2020 first round pick, and the Bucks 2020 first round pick.
Not sure I agree with you as you how bad he’s been defensively, but definitely agree with him that he has a lot to work on, particularly when to stay down: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.masslive.com/celtics/2019/11/robert-williams-ive-been-slacking-defensively-but-boston-celtics-are-being-encouraging.html?outputType=ampI should say. As bad as I think he is on defense right now, I don't think it's something he can't learn with time. I mostly like the way Brad has gotten him minutes and I don;t disagree that there is a legit talent there.
I think it would cost more but if we could land Mitchell Robinson for 2 late firsts sign me up!Is it obvious that he’ll be better than TL, especially wrt the offensive end? Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have MR as well, but you’re going to have to pay him after the rookie deal, and you really can’t pay 2 5s in the modern NBA. I’d way rather go after Baynes’ age 34 year for the time period when MR is cheap.
IDK if he eventually will be better than TL, but switch them right now, and the Celtics would be a lot better off. We probably can't develop, and certainly can't eventually pay both. I've high on TL, but really wanted Robinson with that pick.Is it obvious that he’ll be better than TL, especially wrt the offensive end? Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have MR as well, but you’re going to have to pay him after the rookie deal, and you really can’t pay 2 5s in the modern NBA. I’d way rather go after Baynes’ age 34 year for the time period when MR is cheap.
TimeLord is by far the best nickname I can remember and stories like this solidify that factnice article with video of TL's passing ability. It's almost as if he is able to see in the future where people are going to be.
https://www.celticsblog.com/2019/11/24/20976390/robert-williams-prophetic-passing-boston-celtics-dimelord
I feel proud to be the first member to use it on this site, even if I can’t take credit. It’s at a completely different nickname level, and works in all ways.TimeLord is by far the best nickname I can remember and stories like this solidify that fact
Yeah it has a lot of good derivative options, like a strong base jersey.I thought Dime Lord was a nice derivation