The Brooklyn Nets may not avoid Robert Williams in their first-round series against the Boston Celtics after all.
The series’ schedule benefits the Celtics as they await the big man’s return from his meniscus surgery. There are two days off after Game 1 on Sunday, two days off after Game 2 and two days off between Games 3 and 4. If the streak goes the distance, Game 7 would fall on May 1st.
That gives Williams plenty of time to work his way back into Boston’s lineup. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, there’s a strong chance we’ll see Time Lord on the court at some point in the series.
“I’ve been told that the possibility is very real that Robert Williams could return in this first-round series against the Nets,” Wojnarowski said on Wednesday’s NBA Countdown. “Game 6 would come just about a month after his left knee meniscus surgery on March 30th.
“The thought from the beginning was that because of the nature of this meniscus surgery, he might be back even within that month-long schedule. He’s progressed, he’s met all of his benchmarks from what I’ve been told and there’s a real possibility for Boston… he could be back to play in the back end of this series against the Nets.
Williams underwent surgery on March 30 and was given an expected recovery time of four to six weeks. The four week mark will be reached on April 27th when Game 5 is scheduled to take place.
That’s bad news for a Nets team that was looking forward to attacking the basket in William’s absence. Nets wing Bruce Brown already gave the C’s some bulletin board material by calling out big men Al Horford and Daniel Theis.
If Williams returns, he will immediately make a difference. The 24-year-old thrived in his first full season as a starter, averaging 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game and was named Defensive Player of the Year before his injury.