Celtics Talk: Robert Williams, Grant Williams, 2022-23 Opening Week and More - The Fast Break Podcast
In this week’s episode of The Fast Break Podcast, Fastbreak on FanNation NBA insider and reporter Brett Siegel is joined by CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning to discuss all things Boston Celtics after their strong showing on opening night.
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Boston Celtics Opening Night [2:14]
Defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 126-117 on opening night, the Boston Celtics begin the 2022-23 NBA season 1-0, but after a season in which defense carried them to the 2022 NBA Finals, it was the offense that really looked strong in this first game of the new season [2:14].
Manning: I thought this was a good test for Boston right off the bat and I actually had Philly in the game just because of some of the rebounding issues Boston had coming into the game… But the way they ran the floor, which is something we did see in the preseason, but you were wondering if it was going to translate. That wore out Philly in a way that really surprised me and it makes you think that can kind of be the Celtics trump card while Robert Williams is out and they wait to get fully healthy there.
Siegel: It seemed like Bobby that every single time the Celtics brought the ball up the floor, they looked comfortable on offense and that is not something we necessarily saw last year in the NBA Finals. You have to give a lot of credit to the Golden State Warriors’ defense for that, but at times, the Celtics offense was really stagnant, but on Tuesday night, they shot 56.1 percent from the field. Their defense was good, but their offense was really the story in this one.
Manning: I really agree. This offense that looked so stagnant, so inconsistent for much of last year. To see them score so effortlessly wall-to-wall like that and run the floor and embrace that pace. I have heard that Joe Mazzulla stepped into his new role, as much as he has talked about keeping things the same and sticking to the formula from last year, he has really changed some things on offense… He has really addressed offense in practice I’ve heard and was drilling this idea early on in camp to get that side of the ball down and be more consistent. Every team says they want to play fast, but for this group to do so as seemingly as they have was really impressive.
From Ime Udoka To Joe Mazzulla [8:20]
Right before the start of training camp, reports surfaced about a possible suspension being handed down to Celtics head coach Ime Udoka for an unspecified reason and just hours later, it was revealed that Udoka had been in major violation of organization rules and as a result, he would be suspended for the entirety of the 2022-23 NBA season with assistant Joe Mazzulla taking over the reins as the team’s acting head coach.
Brett and Bobby talked about the impact of this news on the Celtics in the preseason and what the season could look like under Mazzulla’s leadership [8:20].
Siegel: Me and you, we talked briefly when this news about Udoka began to develop, but what were your initial thoughts really, especially after the team’s run to the Finals a few months final in regards to Udoka’s suspension?
Manning: Of course everyone wondered why this was happening and I am sure we will mostly be left in the dark about that for the foreseeable future here, so move past that and wonder what the impact was going to be on the team and it felt like it would be significant… So much of the tone set from last year stemmed from Udoka and not only did you worry about that voice being gone at the top, but you worried about who would fill that gap of leadership on this team. Then of course you worried about a guy coming from the back of the bench in Joe Mazzulla whose only coaching experience was Division II Fairmont State. This team has rallied around Mazzulla and while media day definitely had a somber feeling to it, Day 1 of training camp the feeling quickly pivoted to basketball and this group embraced Mazzula. The vibes around this team are really great right now and that was not expected when this news went down Brett.
Siegel: It was one of those crazy things that kind of caught everyone by surprise late at night when the news broke. When you face a situation like this as a team, I feel like that really puts a lot of pressure on players like Tatum, like Brown and like Smart simply because they are the best players and because they have been the unspoken leaders of this team for quite some time. We have really seen these guys rise to the occasion and have made the transition to Mazzulla as the head coach as smooth as it could be without there being an awkwardness to it.
Latest Updates On Robert Williams III [15;57]
Robert Williams III was a defensive phenom for the Boston Celtics a season ago and he ended up earning All-Defensive team honors for the first-time in his career for being one of the best shot-blockers in the entire league. He suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee near the end of the 2021-22 season and while he played through this injury in the playoffs, Williams required offseason surgery to further clean out his knee and fully repair the injury he sustained several months ago.
When this procedure was done in September, the Celtics said he would resume basketball activities in an 8-10 week period from the time of the surgery, putting him on a tentative timetable to return at some point between late-November and mid-December.
Talking about Williams and his potential return, Manning gave an update as to when we should expect to see Boston’s center back out on the floor.
Bobby Manning [15:57]: “I do not think we will see him until the end of December, close to Christmas and that’s just to return to basketball activities. That is not necessarily him being back in a game and being at full-strength. The second-half of the year is going to be when you will likely see Williams at full-strength again and who knows how that will go. They could potentially ease him back by bringing him off-the-bench as they ramp up his minutes, especially if things continue to work out with their small-ball lineups. This is the disappointing thing entering the season and it almost got overshadowed by Udoka’s suspension, as they kind of happened at the same time… The message has been for him to get right and take all the time possible to come back 100 percent. There is plenty of time for him to get to this point before the playoffs and the team is prepared to handle his situation slowly.”
Grant Williams, Celtics Fail To Reach Long-Term Extension [20:30]
Grant Williams really emerged as a key weapon for the Celtics to utilize last season, as he took a big leap into being a solid “3-and-D” type of player we talk so much about in the NBA today. Unable to reach a long-term extension with the team before the deadline at the start of the season, Williams will now enter restricted free agency at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.
With others reaching deals and being taken “off-the-market” per se, Williams’ price could very well increase to a point where the Celtics could have trouble retaining him.
Bobby Manning [20:30]: “The money will be out there for a player like Grant Williams. A couple of guys got taken off-the-market right before the buzzer like De’Andre Hunter (Atlanta Hawks) , Nassir Little (Portland Trail Blazers) , so that took some guys who were in front of him for other suitors off-the-market, moving Grant up their list. There are many things that have happened to this team over the last year that have helped move Grant’s value up… If you are him, you bet on yourself and if you are the Celtics, you wait and see and I think that was the appropriate move on both ends there. You just have to know if you are the Celtics that bringing him to a market where teams do have cap space to sign him to an offer sheet that you could be pressed to make an offer of $20 million or more just to keep him if he has a big season. Either way though, I believe the Celtics will be happy to pay Williams if he has a big year and if he doesn’t, they will reap the benefits of a potential discount in negotiations next offseason.”
