Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III is expected to skip 4-6 weeks during arthroscopic knee surgery, Sean Deveney first reported. The procedure is meant to clean up Williams’ knee and should bring him back into training at the start of the regular season, but will likely keep him out of retirement and preseason for Boston.
Williams has a long history of injuries and, in particular, suffered a tear in his meniscus last season that kept him out of the regular season finale and limited him to the playoffs. Williams relies heavily on his athleticism. He is one of the best protectors of the circle and all-round defender in the NBA, so getting him back to 100% physically is absolutely essential.
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The Celtics started last season 23-24, but jumped to the top of the table when they changed Williams’ role in defense to allow him greater flexibility of movement and play. The Celtics finished with the # 1 defense in the NBA and, if Williams had stayed healthy, it’s possible he, and not teammate Marcus Smart, would have won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
His absence is another injury Boston will face. The Celtics also lost striker Danilo Gallinari to a torn ACL earlier this off-season while playing for the Italian national team. With Daniel Theis busted in the off-season, the Celtics will now have to lean on Al Horford and Grant Williams for even more minutes at the start of the season.
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