Tag Archives: Rotation

Robert Williams Has Earned a Place with the Celtics

Robert Williams Is Redeeming Himself to Boston Fans

Overall, the preseason for the Celtics was a bust. The team went 1-3 in four contests against the Hornets and the Cavaliers. There wasn’t much to be excited about, as the team shot poorly and couldn’t muster much on either side of the ball. However, there was a clear bright spot on the team during the four games: their young draft pick. After gaining a poor reputation early on, Robert Williams has made a strong case to take on a bigger role this season.

Why Williams Needs More Minutes

Williams suffered a rocky introduction to Celtics fans following the draft. The young center had well-documented work ethic issues early on. Many fans (I’ll admit, including myself) were worried that he was destined to be a bust for the franchise. An injury in Summer League did nothing to boost his confidence either. However, Williams has quieted the haters after his preseason showing.

If you’re looking solely at the statistics, by no means was Williams’ performance out of the ordinary. In ten minutes per game, he averaged 4.5 points and 2.0 rebounds. However, if you take a look at a little bit of game film, you can easily see what he’ll be able to bring to the table. On a team that allowed on average 107 points to the opposition per game, Williams was a defensive standout.

His energy on the defensive end was refreshing. He bounced all over the court, defending the paint and jumping out on shooters. He’s got an extremely lanky frame, and it shows. Williams stands 6’9″, which isn’t huge for a center. However, his 7-6 wingspan allows him to be adept at getting a hand in the shooter’s face. He had the game-winning block against the Hornets in the team’s second preseason game. Those long arms also allow the rookie to cause problems on the interior against bigger opponents.

On the other end of the court, Williams is also an asset. His shot needs work, which the Celtics knew when they drafted him. Where he really adds value is with his spacing. Williams has already shown potential with his energetic screen-setting, and he can really open up the whole floor. If he can improve on the raw talent he has, #44 becomes a true force on offense as well.

The Bottom Line

No, I’m not advocating that Williams plays 20 minutes a game. However, he’s shown more than enough in the preseason to be considered for minutes on a deep Celtics team. For a player who many fans expected to spend time in the G-League, the young center’s performance should cause Boston staff to take a much closer look at his playing time. With the season opening in just over a week, the intrigue is there as to what Robert Williams can do for the Boston Celtics.

Chris Sale Is Making His Return, but Very Cautiously

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Chris Sale was pitching against the Orioles. It was his first start since coming off the DL and missing a few starts due to left shoulder inflammation. Sale wouldn’t disappoint as he’d strike out TWELVE Orioles in only five innings. He wasn’t going to be relied upon to go deep into the game. About one week later, news came out that he had to go back to another DL stint for the same reason. Sale and Cora both said it wasn’t too serious. Sale hasn’t pitched a game since that afternoon in Baltimore, but he’s finally returning… Sort of.

Chris Sale’s has a history of not being the same kind of pitcher come August and September. He kind of just burns out and doesn’t pitch the same way he did during the first four months. The Red Sox made a promise to change that this year. The plan was to limit his innings and make sure he doesn’t go deep into games when he doesn’t really need to be. That way, when September and October roll around, he’ll be 100%. Without a good Chris Sale, you don’t have much of a shot in the postseason. Everybody knows it.

Sale’s injury was never too serious. Having a big division lead is a good luxury to have and it lets you do more things. Things such as putting someone like Sale on the DL. The team has to make sure he’s the healthiest he can be before he comes back. Now lets say the division race with the Yankees was a little closer. Sale himself said he would be pitching if that were the case. In reality, we really don’t know. Whatever the case is, Sale is going to be slowly brought back. His first game back will be Tuesday. He’s matching up against the Blue Jays and he’s going to be on a 40 pitch limit.

At the end of the day, its clear that Chris Sale is your most important pitcher on this pitching staff and just one of the most important players on the team as a whole. We’re talking about a guy who has an ERA south of 2.0 with over 200 strikeouts on the year. You need him starting games one and four of a five game series. He needs to be out there starting games one, four and seven of a seven game series. If you want to win in the postseason, you need him out there as much as possible. Its incredibly important that he’s as healthy as he can possibly be. He must be this way before you let him go out there without a pitch limit.

Alex Cora, Dana Levangie and the whole coaching staff have been doing a great job of doing so in building him back up. So the return will start on Tuesday and it will go from there. One thing is clear, if the Red Sox want to win a World Series title, Chris Sale has to be healthy. And you need to be willing to do whatever it takes in order for that to be the case.

Examining How The Celtics Rotation Will Shape Up

This year’s Celtics rotation will be the strongest in years.

With Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving both returning, this is likely the deepest roster we’ve seen since the ’08 team. With 15 guaranteed contracts, the current roster is likely going to be the same as the opening day roster, barring an August trade. Let’s examine which players will get big minutes this upcoming year, as well as which players will see a rise or fall in their roles, and who is likely to ride the pine all year.

Via CBS Boston

The Starters

PG- Kyrie Irving SG- Jaylen Brown SF- Gordon Hayward PF- Jayson Tatum C- Al Horford

This was going to be the starting lineup last year before Hayward’s injury. This season, were are likely to see it opening night. Kyrie, Hayward, and Horford are locks to be in the starting lineup on a nightly basis. If the Celtics decide to go with a bigger lineup in some games, they’ll slide Aron Baynes in at center. If that happens, either Brown or Tatum will come off the bench (probably Brown). Brad Stevens has shown willingness to adjust the lineup depending on the opponent. With everyone healthy, he has more freedom to do so. The Celtics can go big with Baynes, and if they want, they can go even bigger by taking Kyrie out of the lineup for stretches and running with the remaining starters and Baynes. Brown, Tatum, and Hayward all have shown their ability to be ballhandlers in the past. Even Horford brings the ball up confidently and efficiently. Lineup flexibility is going to be a huge advantage for the Celtics this year.

As far as minutes go, Irving and Horford won’t see much fluctuation in theirs. Kyrie averaged 32.2 MPG last year and Horford averaged 31.6. These numbers won’t change much. The main variable is Hayward returning. He’s going to get around 30 MPG as well and he’ll draw them from a lot of different places. Tatum and Brown could see their minutes drop to accommodate Hayward, though not drastically. They both averaged 30 MPG last year. They could drop to around 28, but it probably won’t dip much farther than that. Things are pretty straightforward in the starting lineup, but the bench is where it gets interesting.

Via Boston Herald

The Bench

Guards- Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, Brad Wanamaker, Jabari Bird Forwards- Marcus Morris, Semi Ojeleye, Robert Williams, Guerschon Yabusele Centers- Aron Baynes, Daniel Theis

As previously mentioned, this team is crazy-deep. Four of these players could easily be starters on other teams, and you can make the case for more. There are a few interesting situations to watch this year. One is what the team will do with Rozier. Last season, Smart played more minutes (29.9) than Rozier (25.9). However, with Rozier’s breakout at the end of the year, we’ll see if their roles change. I’d guess that their roles are similar this year; they’ll be the first ones off the bench. I don’t see Williams playing too much this year – he’s got Baynes and Theis both ahead of him on the depth chart. He’ll see some garbage time minutes, but probably not much more as the Celtics develop him.

Another story to watch is what happens with Marcus Morris. He’s still of value to the team, but Hayward is going to usurp much of his role. He played 26.8 MPG last year; that could take a big hit with Hayward and the continuing evolution of Ojeleye. Another player who will see their minutes drop is Baynes. His starting role is gone now, and though he’s the first big off the bench, his minutes will be reduced as well. Brad Wanamaker is a wild card, as he’s an overseas signing. It’ll be interesting to see if he plays.

This roster is a beautiful sight after the depleted stretches last year. This team has a lot of players that can contribute, but there are only so many minutes to go around. With lots of talent, Brad Stevens has some tough decisions to make. The starters are set in stone, but after that, the waters get murky. No matter who ends up playing, the Celtics are ready to go for the 2018-19 season. Let’s leave it in the hands of the best head coach in basketball to figure out the optimal rotations.

Who do you think will get big minutes? Let me know on twitter- @jackbuffett_

Boston Sports Extra

By Boston Fans, For Boston Fans