Celtics

Celtics’ Robert Williams will reportedly make his season debut on Friday

Williams had arthroscopic knee surgery in September on the same knee that suffered a torn meniscus in March.

By Conor Roche

December 15, 2022

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The Celtics are getting one of their best players back on Friday.

Robert Williams has been upgraded to questionable for Friday’s game against the Magic. However, the fifth-year center will play and make his season debut in that game, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Thursday.

Williams underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in September on the same knee that suffered a torn meniscus in March. The timetable following the surgery in September was set for Williams to return to basketball activities in 8-to-12 weeks. Friday will mark 11 weeks since he had the surgery.

The Celtics hold the best record in the league at 22-7, though Williams’s return is still a welcomed sign after they went 1-2 to end their six-game road trip. In the West Coast portion of the trip, Boston was also without big man Al Horford due to health and safety protocols and later personal reasons due to the birth of his child. Boston’s lack of depth at center beyond Williams and Horford proved to be faulty over that three-game stretch as they opted not to play Blake Griffin nor Luke Kornet in pivotal moments of those games.

Williams was arguably the catalyst to the Celtics’ league-best defense last season, too. Boston’s defense has taken a bit of a hit with Williams out, ranking 10th in defensive rating though it’s improved in recent weeks.

Williams had a career year last season, scoring 10 points, grabbing 9.6 rebounds, and blocking 2.2 shots per game. Williams was second in the league in blocks per game last season and led the league in defensive rating (102.4).

Friday begins a seven-game homestand for the Celtics, which will keep them in Boston through the end of the calendar year.