Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said that inured center Robert Williams III is “pretty close” to a return and making his season debut, as relayed by John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal.
It was announced in late September that Williams was expected to miss about eight-to-12 weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
Williams, 24, is 6-foot-8 and appeared in 61 games last season, starting all and averaging 10.0 points and 9.6 rebounds — all while proving to be a nice complement to the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Despite Williams’ absence, the Celtics have still managed to compile a league-best 18-5 record (through Saturday). This coming after one season of reaching the Finals.
The Celtics could still seek out another big man via trade before the season ends, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
“I think for Boston now as you start to look out to the February trade deadline, I think another big man, another center who could play minutes in the case of Rob Williams missing time or a 36-year-old Al Horford being out,” Wojnarowski said, via Arthur Hill of Hoops Rumors. “They are trying to close every hole they can to be a championship team. We can watch Boston as they get closer to the trade deadline, seeing if there are any frontcourt help off their bench they could acquire.”
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