Why Robert Williams Thinks He’s Ready To Make ‘Great Jump’ With Celtics

Is this the season Robert Williams finally earns consistent, important minutes in Boston?

That remains to be seen, but the third-year center is confident he’s ready to take the next step in his development.

Largely due to injuries and defensive inconsistency, Williams has played sparingly since the Celtics selected him in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft. But the Texas A&M product delivered some standout performances in the postseason and might be poised for a breakout campaign.

“I honestly feel like I’ll make a great jump this year, for myself but also for my team,” Williams said Tuesday while speaking with reporters. “Feel like I’m around great guys to do that, too. Bringing in Tristan (Thompson), he’s somebody I can learn from easily. Every day learning stuff from (Daniel) Theis, I feel like that’s put me in a great position too.”

Even if he never develops an outside shot, Williams has a chance to develop into a game-altering, rim-running threat for the Celtics. A poor man’s DeAndre Jordan might be a fair comparison, albeit an imperfect one.

Williams last season averaged 5.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.2 blocks while playing 13.4 minutes per game.