Robert Williams Tributes Daniel Theis After Trade: ‘That Was My Big Brother’

With the Boston Celtics trading Daniel Theis to the Chicago Bulls ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, a new window of opportunity has opened up for Robert Williams.

The third-year center has made a tremendous jump in his game this year, surprising many and complicating things for coach Brad Stevens, who has had an interesting time trying to manage playing time for their three deserving centers: Williams, Tristan Thompson and formerly, Theis.

So with Theis out of the equation now, Williams has a huge opportunity to prove himself in a bigger role. That didn’t make saying goodbye any easier.

“Theis, you know, that was my big brother, man,” Williams said after Friday night’s win against the Milwaukee Bucks. “He taught me a lot about the game. Every time I got down on myself he was the number one person to pick me up, always letting me know to keep playing hard.”

Williams got off to a good start with his added responsibility, lighting up the stat sheet in a great effort against Milwaukee. As for Theis, he’ll earn the money he deserves when he hits free agency this summer.