Celtics Odds: Robert Williams’ DPOY Prices After Season Debut

With the return of Robert Williams comes the start of him trying to put together an NBA Defensive Player of the Year campaign.

After recovering from an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee, Williams made his long-awaited return to the floor Friday night. Coming off the bench for the Boston Celtics during their uncharacteristic 117-109 loss versus the subpar Orlando Magic, Williams played 18 minutes. He scored nine points while going perfect on four field goal attempts with five rebounds and a block.

“The nerves were getting me pretty bad before the game,” Williams told reporters.

Considering Williams notched a career-high 2.2 blocks per game last season to finish second in the NBA, the anticipation came as no surprise. The Celtics have been exploited on various occasions for their rim-protection issues this season. And Williams gave Boston a glimpse of what’s to come as he regains his strength and finds his stride.

With that being said, here’s an updated look at where Williams stands in odds for Defensive Player of the Year after one game in the books, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook:

Brook Lopez: +150
Jarren Jackson Jr.: +300
OG Anunoby: +1200
Giannis Antetokounmpo: +1200
Evan Mobley: +1600
Anthony Davis: +2100
Joel Embiid: +2700
Rudy Gobert: +3500
Jarett Allen: +3500
Draymond Green: +4500
Robert Williams (after six others, including Marcus Smart +7000): +13000

That gives room for two things: Massive improvement for Williams and a potentially massive payout for those feeling lucky. Without their defensive anchor, the Celtics displayed some major defensive flaws. After their first five games of the season, Boston allowed 118.9 points per game to opponents.

Before the season began, oddsmakers still had faith in Williams. Despite battling the setback of his recovery, Williams’ odds stood at +700. Those odds were good enough for the second-best only behind Gobert at the time.

This begs the question: Can the Time Lord still make his way up in the odds race?

While the debut was spoiled by the Celtics’ failure to build any sort of momentum, they’ll get another chance Sunday. Tipoff against the Magic at TD Garden is set for 3 p.m. ET.