Robert Williams made his long-awaited return Friday night, coming off the bench to score an efficient nine points (4-of-4 from the field) and grab five rebounds. Despite his efforts, the Celtics suffered a surprising 117-109 loss to the Orlando Magic.
After the game when Williams was asked about his performance, he said, "I was tired as hell the first four minutes I was out there, but you know, I calmed down. Fun, it felt good -- it felt great actually. We f****** lost, but we'll bounce back from that."
Williams being focused and upset about the loss shows you how important the team's success is to him despite not playing in a game for six months as he recovered from a knee procedure.
Despite getting Williams back, the Celtics got out-rebounded 53-38 on the night. With the loss of Al Horford due to him being ejected, and adapting to Williams' style of spacing, that may have impacted the rebounding on both sides of the court. Williams also got into some foul trouble, with three fouls within the first two minutes of him playing, which resulted in him being benched for a bit.
Despite the loss, the Celtics players were happy to have Williams back on the court in some role.
"I'm happy for him," Jayson Tatum said. "He played well. I'm glad he's back healthy and back with the team. That's the plus tonight."
As for the Celtics staff, interim coach Joe Mazzulla felt like Williams did well and was happy.
"I thought he picked up where he left off as far as his weak-side defense," Mazzulla said. "…He just looked comfortable out there, so I was happy for him."
The Celtics will have a chance to redeem themselves on Sunday when they face the Magic again in a rematch.
Williams is one of the key players the Celtics need to be reliable and perform if they plan on winning the NBA Finals this year. Even though Al Horford is performing well, he is not the future center of this organization at 36. Blake Griffin is also not the long-term solution going forward.
The Celtics' biggest asset as a team is youth. Jayson Tatum is 24, Jaylen Brown is 26, Marcus Smart is 28, Derrick White is 28, and Malcolm Brogdon is 30. At age 25, Williams is part of the foundation of not just this year's team, but of an organization that hopes to compete for championships for years to come.
