An MRI Monday morning showed Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee in Sunday afternoon’s win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team said.
Williams left Boston’s 134-112 win at 2:46 in the third quarter. The Celtics continue to assess the severity of the meniscus tear before providing a timeline for William’s return later this week. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Williams is expected to be absent for at least “several weeks”.
“He said it wasn’t even one specific game he remembered,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said after the win, “but [he] got out of the game…obviously went back to get checked out and was in quite a bit of pain.
Udoka told reporters ahead of Monday’s game against the Toronto Raptors that Williams needed surgery and was considering several options. The Celtics coach did not rule out a return.
“There are some that will keep you out longer than others,” he said, “and we’re hoping for the best.”
The injury came just as the Celtics, who were under-500 on Jan. 21 and clinging to the final play-in tournament spot, were moving into the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference. They are 24-4 in the last third of the season and own the league’s best net rating (116.4) with seven points per 100 possessions in that span.
Williams was an invaluable member of Boston’s best defense in the league. Her turn coincided with the athletic big man’s reassignment to a roving role that required him to challenge the 3-point corner and protect the rim. Of 291 players who have defended 325 or more field goal attempts this season, Williams has had the greatest statistical impact, forcing his opponents to shoot 6.9% worse than average.
Robert Williams III was the anchor of the Boston Celtics’ best defense in the NBA. (Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)
Williams is shortlisted for Defensive Player of the Year. It will be a challenge for Boston to replace his ability to erase mistakes. Williams’ verticality opens the ground up offensively almost as much as it closes it up defensively. Also an underrated passer, he’s averaged 10 points (73.6% shots from the field), 9.6 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and a pair of assists in 29.6 minutes in 61 starts this season — all career-highs.
The story goes on
Boston’s recapture of center Daniel Theis is crucial in closing the gap on Williams’ potential return. Theis, who started over Williams in the Celtics 2020 Eastern Conference Finals, has averaged 5.3 points (72.7% on 2 points), 4.1 rebounds and one block in 13 in 14 games since returning to his former team .9 minutes. How much his experience and dedication can make up for the loss of William’s influence remains to be seen.
Equally important to Boston’s pursuit of a championship this season is the long-term health of their 24-year-old rising star. Williams fell to the 27th pick in the 2019 draft over concerns about the possibility of chronic injuries to both knees. He entered the league with an ongoing tendinitis in his left knee and has dealt with left knee pain throughout his career, limited to 174 appearances over four precautionary seasons.
Williams signed a four-year, $48 million, rookie-scale contract extension in August that begins next season.
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Ben Rohrbach is a senior editor at Yahoo Sports. Do you have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach