Robert Williams III, the Celtics first round rookie out of Texas A&M, has been assigned to the NBA G-League by the Boston Celtics to play for the Maine Red Claws. The Celtics franchise G-League affiliate tips off Friday night, November 2nd, 2018, against the Westchester Knicks. He is expected to start right away.
Williams was selected with the 27th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. In two seasons at Texas A&M, he averaged 11.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
#Celtics rookie 1st round pick, Robert Williams III (@rob_williamsIII) has been assigned to the Maine Red Claws team in the NBA G-League. #cUSrise
— Full Press Celtics (@FPC_Celtics) November 2, 2018
Has he been performing badly?
Not in the slightest. Robert Williams has actually impressed thus far in his action. He threw down a thunderous dunk 0:05 seconds into his game against the Detroit Pistons on October 27th, and then recorded 3 blocks.
The assignment isn’t because Williams hasn’t been playing well. Rather, it’s because they have no minutes for him to play. Aron Baynes, Marcus Morris and Al Horford have gotten the overwhelming majority of the minutes at the five position. That’s not including Daniel Theis, currently injured, who has been getting a lot of minutes too.
I’m sure this was a decision made by Brad Stevens. Stevens see’s the big play material and potential written all over Williams, and would rather him be playing minutes against lesser talent then playing no minutes at all.
Is this a good move?
Hell, yeah! The Celtics have plenty of depth this season and are currently healthy. Plus, they can call up Robert Williams and then send him back whenever they want. This move allows Williams to play, continue to refine his game and keep him ready for NBA action.
So far, the Celtics had only played him in eleven and a half minutes over four games. I’m certain that Williams will return to the team at some point this season. With extra experience, he should play very well upon his return.
In the meantime, someone please make sure that Maine has a roof high enough to keep Williams from bumping his head on the rafters during his launch for a dunk.