Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
This Wild Stat Shows How Big of an Impact Robert Williams Has Had For Celtics
The Boston Celtics certainly have gotten a big lift since Robert Williams returned to the lineup.
The big man missed the team's first 29 games of the 2022-23 campaign as he recovered from off-season knee surgery. Williams finally took the court for Boston on Dec. 16 and has made a major impact ever since.
Williams has been known for ferocious defense and high-flying dunks throughout his career so far and he's looked like himself so far since returning from injury. It was expected that his return would immediately improve the team's defense and it has. Williams also has drastically improved the team's offensive rebounding.
Before Williams took the court the Celtics had a league-worst 23.1% offensive rebounding percentage but that number has risen greatly since the big man returned to the rate of 27.5%.
The 25-year-old has been so impressive this season that if he had been able to play from opening night, his individual offense rebound percentage at 13.7% would be third in the entire NBA. Memphis Grizzlies big man Steven Adams currently leads the league with a 16.6% offensive rebounding percentage followed by New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson at 15.4%.
Boston has been the best team in the NBA so far this season and although it faced a mini-slump right before Christmas, the team seems to have figured it out and has won seven of its last nine games and Williams' impact has been a big reason why.
Williams entered the starting lineup for the first time this season in Monday's win over the Chicago Bulls and looked impressive. As he continues to get his footing, he's just going to make the Celtics more and more dangerous.
Further Reading
Knicks Reportedly Interested In Trading Wing, Should Celtics Consider Deal?
Robert Williams' Presence Already Being Felt, Making Difference in Major Way For Celtics
The Latest on Marcus Smart, Who Exited the Celtics-Spurs Game Due to a Knee Injury
The Top 5 Plays from Saturday's Celtics-Spurs Game
[Film Room] How the Celtics Limited Luka Doncic's Impact as a Scorer and Facilitator
