Robert Williams' Presence Already Being Felt, Making Difference in Major Way For Celtics

Williams is making a major impact right away

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics are doing some impressive things this season. 

After making it all the way to the NBA Finals last season, Boston has responded in a major way and has been the best team in the league in the first half. What has made Boston's play even more impressive is the fact that there has been just a few games where the team was fully healthy.

Boston was without the services of big man Robert Williams for the first 29 games of the year as he recovered from offseason knee surgery. Williams has been slowly integrated back into the Boston lineup since returning and even in limited minutes has made a clear impact. 

Williams even returned to the starting lineup ahead of Monday's big win over the Chicago Bulls and head coach Joe Mazzulla had only good things to say. 

"He was great," Mazzulla said as seen on NBC Sports Boston. "I think he brought a level of joy to our team because of how unselfish he is and the type of plays that he's able to make on both ends of the floor. I thought our spacing was better with our big lineup. That's something we're just going to work on."

The big man certainly has made his impact felt in just a short time. As the Celtics continue to get healthier and he gets even more time, Boston could be scary as the season progresses towards the postseason. 

Further Reading

Here's What Stood Out in the Celtics' Win vs. Bulls: Boston Clamps Down Defensively to Overcome Cold Shooting

Marcus Smart's Absence Makes Monday's Celtics-Bulls Game as Good a Time as Any to Start Robert Williams

The Latest on Marcus Smart, Who Exited the Celtics-Spurs Game Due to a Knee Injury

The Top 5 Plays from Saturday's Celtics-Spurs Game

Here's What Stood Out in the Celtics' Win vs. Spurs: Boston Never Trails but Has to Fend Off San Antonio in Game That Goes Down to the Wire

[Film Room] How the Celtics Limited Luka Doncic's Impact as a Scorer and Facilitator