Boston Celtics Center To Miss 8-12 Weeks After Knee Surgery
The Boston Celtics have a lot going on internally right now in regards to head coach Ime Udoka and his suspension, but on the court, they will begin the 2022-23 NBA season thin.
Not only is Danilo Gallinair out indefinitely after undergoing left ACL surgery recently, but starting center Robert Williams III is now out indefinitely.
On Friday, the Celtics announced that Williams underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure to remove loose bodies and address swelling in his left knee and that he is expected to return to basketball activities in 8-12 weeks, a lot longer than the team’s original 4-6 week prognosis.
On September 20, Boston said that Williams would miss a chunk of time heading into training camp and the preseason since he would be undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee.
Having left meniscus surgery in March, Robert Williams III has still been dealing with some discomfort and swelling, which is why he had another procedure done.
Without Williams, the Celtics are left very short-handed in the frontcourt, as Al Horford and Luke Kornet are their only other options at the center position under contract.
In his fourth NBA season, Williams took a massive leap forward with Boston last year. In 61 total regular season games, he averaged 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 73.6 percent from the floor. He earned NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors for the first time in his career and was the anchor for Boston’s defense, the best defense in the entire league a season ago.
The Boston Celtics are set to begin the 2022-23 NBA season on October 18 as they welcome the Philadelphia 76ers to TD Garden. This is one of two games that will be played on Oct. 18 on TNT as part of the NBA’s Opening Night broadcast.
