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Throwback: Robert Williams' dominant Celtics season

Originally posted on Celtics Life | Last updated Feb 19, 2026 2:21 PM ET

For today's Throwback Thursday we go back to the 2021-22 NBA season when Robert Williams made the leap to a bonafide elite starting NBA center. Time Lord would start all 61 games he played in averaging a double double (10 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal) for the Celtics on the way to earning himself a spot on the NBA's All-Defense 2nd team. Williams also finished 7th in NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting (his teammate Marcus Smart won the award).

Had Williams played in more games he would have been All-Defense 1st team and likely topped Smart in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Williams suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee in March of that season which was the only reason he was limited to 61 games. Time Lord chose to undergo a meniscus trim, which allowed him to return to the Celtics in the playoffs where he played in 17 games, despite clearly not being back to 100%.

Williams' sacrifice helped propel the Celtics back to the NBA Finals for the first time in a dozen years. Had the meniscus tear not occured a few months back, Boston very likely defeats the Warriors in that series.

Williams and the Celtics choosing the path that gave their dominant starting center the opportunity to return to help fight for the title in 2022 likely is part of the reason Time Lord has yet to ever return to his dominant 2021-22 self, but if you watched that Boston team prior to that March injury they were the most dangerous team in the NBA.