Celtics

Celtics’ Robert Williams to miss Sunday’s game vs. Knicks

Williams suffered a hamstring injury in the Celtics' loss to the Nets.

Robert Williams is set to miss his 37th game of the season. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

March 5, 2023

Robert Williams is back on the injury report.

The Celtics center will miss Sunday’s game against the Knicks due to a hamstring injury. Williams suffered a left hamstring strain in the third quarter of the Celtics’ loss to the Nets on Friday, in which Brooklyn came back from a 28-point deficit to win.

Following the crushing loss, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t have any further update on Williams’s status, adding some more concern to the center’s injury status.

Sunday will mark the 37th game Williams has missed this season. He was out for the first 29 games of the season as he recovered from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

The Celtics have played things safe with Williams so far this season. Most of the other seven games he’s missed have been due to managing his left knee. He’s also averaging 24.2 minutes per game, down from the 29.6 he averaged last season, and was coming off the bench for many of his first few games back as he’s only played 30-plus minutes in a game six times this season.

Holding a 45-19 record, the Celtics obviously haven’t been too struck by Williams missing a ton of time this season, going 27-9 in games he’s missed this season. But Williams has been one of the Celtics’ most impactful players when he’s been on the court. He holds a 116.7 offensive rating and a 106.8 defensive rating, giving him a 9.9 net rating, which is the second-best on the team per NBA.com.

In terms of his season averages, Williams has 8.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game.

Williams isn’t the only player in the Celtics’ regular rotation who might Sunday’s game. Malcolm Brogdon is listed as questionable with right ankle soreness. He missed Friday’s loss due to the same injury. Brogdon is a leading Sixth Man of the Year candidate, scoring 14.6 points and dishing out 3.7 assists per game while shooting 48.8 percent from the field and a league-best 46 percent from deep.