Robert Williams Injury Status For Game 1 of NBA Finals

The injury status of Celtics center Robert Williams has been a persistent storyline throughout these playoffs. The second-team all-defensive center has missed time in each series after suffering a torn left meniscus in late March, battling recurring knee soreness and looking less than 100% when on the court. Williams’ status is now under a microscope as the Celtics get set to face the Warriors in the NBA Finals.

Robert Williams Injury Status Entering Game 1

All indications are that Williams will be active for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday. That still leaves the question of how effective Williams can be, as well as whether he can hold up for an entire series. Williams has missed seven games in these playoffs after sitting out the final two weeks of the regular season. Despite returning in the middle of the Celtics’ first-round sweep of the Nets, soreness forced him to miss the final four games of Boston’s series against the Bucks and Game 3 of the conference finals against Miami. While Williams has played each of the last four games, he played a series-low 14 minutes in Game 7 and didn’t look close to 100%.

The extra time between Finals games could help Williams stay healthier as the series goes on, though. There are two days off between all games except Games 3 and 4, allowing for more recovery time after conference finals games were played every other day. The Celtics also have three full days off between Sunday’s Game 7 and Thursday’s Game 1. It’s worth noting Williams’ most impactful game in the conference finals was Game 1, after more than a week of rest. Williams played a series-high 28 minutes in that one, finishing with 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks. With games more spaced out, Williams’ knee might hold up better. What we do know, however, is that Williams won’t be 100% healthy until next season.

Boston Celtics Starting Lineup

PG Marcus Smart
SG Jaylen Brown
SF Jayson Tatum
PF Robert Williams
C Al Horford

How Does Robert Williams’ Status Affect the Series?

Robert Williams’ health will be critical to Boston’s chances against Golden State. Williams was one of the best defensive big men in the NBA this season and a huge reason the Celtics surged to the 2nd seed in the East after some early struggles. The mission for the Celtics will be to slow down a Warriors team that leads the league in points so far in these playoffs and represents a much different challenge than the defense-driven Heat.

The Warriors are also expected to be healthier than the Bucks and Heat were in their series’ against Boston. Golden State is expecting Gary Payton II back from an elbow injury as soon as Game 1, while role players Andre Iguodala and Otto Porter also have a chance to return soon. The Celtics faced the Bucks without Khris Middleton, while the Heat rarely had Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro healthy at the same time, allowing Ime Udoka’s squad to survive nagging injuries to Williams and Marcus Smart. Against the well-rested Warriors, it’ll have to be all-hands-on-deck to slow a dynamic offense.

The Celtics were fortunate that Grant Williams matched up well with the Heat. Though Daniel Theis started Game 3 in Robert Williams’ place, Grant Williams benefitted the most with 39 minutes of action, posting 10 points and 5 rebounds. He picked up some of the slack again in Game 7, finishing with 11 points and 6 rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting. Robert Williams’ sporadic availability has allowed Grant Williams to become more comfortable with an increased role on both ends of the floor, which has helped the Celtics keep chugging along. This could allow Udoka to be cautious with Robert Williams when necessary, but Grant Williams just doesn’t have Robert’s height or shot-blocking ability that will be crucial given Kevon Looney’s emergence for Golden State.

The Warriors opened as -155 favorites to win the NBA Finals and 3.5-point favorites to win Game 1 at home.