Robert Williams’s Injury Puts the Celtics’ Sleeper Hopes to Bed

Robert Williams III tore the meniscus in his left knee. He's out indefinitely. The injury hurts the Celtics' chances of reaching the NBA Finals. The Mismatch has said for months that the Boston Celtics are NBA's sleepers. They have the top-ranked defensive rating in the league. Ime Udoka has moved Williams away from the source of actions and tasked him with defending corner 3-point shooters or players hovering around the baseline. Williams forces opponents to shoot only 35.5 percent. His defense is the second best in NBA this season. In 2022, he's a lock for one of 10 spots on my All-Defensive Team ballot.

Williams and Smart ranked first in the league as a duo when switching a pick-and-roll this season. Horford and Grant Williams will take on more defensive responsibilities. Jayson Tatum will need to take more of a defensive burden. Celtics are stacked with quality defenders who also contribute on offense. Boston's offensive rating ranks fifth in 2022. The Celtics won't be the same team without Williams. Utah's Rudy Gobert is the star player. Celtics' players are not. They are better without him. Their players can play well without. the All-Star. Tayson is averaging 29.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5 assists per game since he broke out in January.