The Boston Celtics are in the midst of what appears to be a period of endless defeat.
But at least Robert Williams has been impressive lately, right? After all, small victories are important in difficult times.
And Williams was certainly among them. The third-year pivot mounted a series of alley-oops, thundering dunks and blocked shots – one of which incredibly came on the 3-point line – in recent games.
“Rob keeps improving night after night,” teammate Jayson Tatum told reporters on Sunday after the Celtics lost to the New Orleans Pelicans – an epic collapse after a 24-point lead.
Williams played 21 minutes against Pelicans, having now played 19 or more in three of his last four games. He has played 20 or more in just four games this season. But with more minutes came more production.
Williams scored eight points out of 4 out of 6 on the pitch against Pelicans, 12 points out of 6 out of 8 on the pitch against the Hawks, eight points out of 4 out of 5 out against Atlanta in the previous game and eight points out of 4 out of 4 out on the field against the Denver Nuggets.
Williams is converting almost 73% of his attempts at field goal.
And he showed his skill on the other side of the track as well. Williams has had four blocks in each of the last two games and seven steals (five games against Denver) in the last four games.
“I think he is understanding the game more and is proving to be productive on the court,” said Tatum. “He is difficult to protect because he gets out of the game quickly. Obviously, he can play well over the edge.
“He has an incredible sense of the game,” added Tatum. “Rob is very, very good and will help us with any opportunities he has.
Hopefully, the energy Williams provides will be able to pass on a little bit to the rest of the Celtics as they prepare to face the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.
Miniature photo via Stephen Lew / USA TODAY Sports Images