It’s time to bow down to the Time Lord.
Initially, all the talk of a nickname for Boston Celtics rookie Robert Williams III seemed a tad premature.
The Texas A&M product, while possessing elite athleticism, was unlikely to see a ton of playing time for a team that is loaded with talent vying for an NBA title. But with Al Horford nursing knee tendinitis, Williams has made the most of the playing time he’s gotten and shown why he was so highly touted prior to the NBA draft.
Williams had another strong showing Friday night in the Celtics’ 129-108 destruction of the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden. In 16 minutes, the rookie tallied five blocks, five rounds and one thunderous dunk off a lob from Kyrie Irving.
Let’s go to the tape:
Time Lord Block Party!
5 blocks in 16 minutes played tonight.
(@AAANe_MAnews) #AAANortheast pic.twitter.com/1XuimPIQoM— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) December 15, 2018
Here’s the dunk:
Let's try this again.
Kyrie to Time Lord ⏰👑
That sounds better…
(@AAANe_MAnews) #AAANortheast pic.twitter.com/bXaOuOU5ET— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) December 15, 2018
And here’s (probably) head coach Brad Stevens’ reaction to a few of those blocks.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
That was our reaction as well, Brad.
“He has a chance to be a really good player,” Stevens said, via The Boston Herald. “He does a lot of good things and he’s got a lot of room to grow. That’s the bottom line. The athletic ability is incredible. Everybody can see that; that’s what gets everyone excited.
“Things he didn’t do as well on Wednesday night (in Washington), he’s in working on yesterday before our film session,” he said. “He’s talking to some of the older players about how to handle certain situations after the film session. That’s really good. He wants to be good. He’s worked hard. If he continues that, I don’t see how he’s not successful.”
When Horford returns, Williams likely will go back to splitting time between Boston and Maine, but he’s shown Stevens he can be a valuable member of this season’s team when called upon. And Stevens believes the young big man has what it takes to reach his lofty potential.
Here are more notes from Celtics-Hawks:
–The Celtics now have scored 113-plus points in eight straight games, marking the team’s longest such streak since the 1990-1991 season. Boston has scored 120 or more points in six of the team’s last eight games. The C’s are averaging 125.4 points per game during their winning streak.
— And then there’s this.
The @celtics have won 8 in a row, with a +182 point differential over that span.
That is Boston's best point differential over any 8-game span within a season in team history.
The last team to have a better point diff over an 8-game span was the Suns in April 1989.#CUsRise
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) December 15, 2018
— Marcus Morris now has scored 20-plus points in three straight games. The veteran forward knocked down a career-high six 3-pointers in the win over the Hawks.
— Gordon Hayward returned after missing two games with an illness and didn’t seem to miss a beat, scoring 19 points before leaving the game with a cut on his tongue in the third quarter.
— The Celtics now have scored 87 points in the first quarter against the Hawks this season.
