The Boston Celtics were very worried when news came down that their center, Robert Williams, would be out for a few weeks because of a left knee injury.
Sure enough, they lost their first game without him when they were taken down by the Toronto Raptors, 115-112.
Williams has had a huge impact on the team all season and some fans are nervous that they could fall apart without him.
But perhaps he won’t be gone as long as some feared.
After procedure this morning, there's some optimism of a return on the shorter end of that 4-to-6 week timeline, sources tell ESPN. The conference semifinals are expected to start around April 30-to-May 2.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 30, 2022
Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Williams underwent a medical procedure on Wednesday morning and, following that, there is some hope that he could be back “on the shorter end” of the 4-to-6 week timeline originally proposed.
If that’s the case, Williams could be returning right around the start of the conference semifinals.
Now the question is: will the Celtics make it that far?
Without Williams
Williams has been doing stellar work all season long and has become one of the most important parts of the surging Boston team.
The big man has averaged 10 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks this year, with a shooting percentage of 73.6% from the floor.
Partly thanks to Williams, the Celtics are now the third team in the East with just six games left in the season.
Although they are in third, they are only one game out of first place – that’s just how tight the Eastern Conference is.
Without Williams, the team will need to double-down on its defense and hope to fill the void left by him.
If they can successfully pick up the slack, there is a chance that Williams will re-join the team right at the most pivotal point in the playoffs.
NEXT: 3 Celtics Role Players Who Must Step Up With Robert Williams Out