Should the Boston Celtics consider playing more Time Lord?
After their Game 4 loss to the Toronto Raptors, it might be worth exploring — though Celtics fans ought to temper their expectations for the move.
Center Robert Williams III has shown himself to be a much-improved version of himself in the restart, his nascent passing game legitimate, and his verticality a defensive nightmare for opponents.
But he also makes lots of mistakes even after cleaning his game considerably, and is exploitable on pick-and-rolls. It was this latter fact that had head coach Brad Stevens reticent to give the Louisiana native floor time in the second half of Saturday’s loss to the Raptors.
This could be something Stevens thinks about. Williams replaced Theis REALLY early in the first half. https://t.co/fd3k1gCYFT
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) September 6, 2020
“The [Serge] Ibaka pick-and-rolls were obviously giving us fits, so we went to a smaller, switching lineup there during his normal stint,” explained Stevens on Sunday afternoon.
If the Celtics can plug that leak, we may well see a fair amount of Time Lord on the floor for Game 5; before that defensive weakness was identified by the Raptors, Williams was Boston’s best offensive big man in the series according to Boston Sports Journal’s Brian Robb.
Moreover, he has been good enough on defense to rate a more extended opportunity when not struggling to contain Toronto’s veteran big man from deep.
The Ibaka conundrum may well be superable, however.
Celtics offense with Rob Williams on the floor vs. Raptors: 119.4 points per 100 possessions
Celtics offense with Rob Williams on bench vs. Raptors: 97.4 points per 100 possessions https://t.co/OjtwekWNfk— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) September 5, 2020
The problem with Williams has been his difficulty defending Ibaka’s 3, and other than last night, the older big man has only connected on more than 3 in one game twice, neither of those games coming in the postseason.
Time Lord is Boston’s best offensive option in this series, and while Daniel Theis has earned his starting role, the impact on the game for the entire team on offense as Williams’ vertical gravity warps Toronto’s D to the Celtics is simply too great to ignore.
Boston will still need to find an adjustment to allow the second-year center to stay on the floor when Ibaka is feeling his shot.
But, for a coach as accomplished as Stevens is, it seems likely that Time Lord will have himself another moment on Monday.
