The Boston Celtics are entering the 2022-23 NBA season with some injury concerns. They have already lost one of their offseason additions, Danilo Gallinari, for the season as he tore his ACL during EuroBasket when playing for Italy.
Gallinari was expected to be an integral part of the team’s second unit and has been replaced by Blake Griffin.
Griffin was brought in to help soften that blow, but he could be an integral part of the rotation for the duration of the season because of the injury to Robert Williams III.
Williams has been dealing with knee issues since last season, as he underwent surgery in March that kept him out for the end of the regular season and the beginning of playoffs.
In September, he underwent another procedure on the same knee. It was arthroscopic surgery and described as a cleanup, as Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Williams would be sidelined for 4-6 weeks.
LATEST NBA NEWS: Robert Williams III & Boston Celtics Updates
The Celtics amended that timeline, saying that their starting center would be out for 8-12 weeks. However, it now sounds like that timetable was optimistic. During an appearance on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back”, Shams Charania revealed that Williams underwent a PRP procedure on his knee and could return in the second half of the NBA season.
Charania’s timeline would mean that Williams wouldn’t be in the lineup until 2023 at the earliest. The midway point of the season for Boston is mid-January. That would be a major blow to Boston should Williams miss more than half the regular season.
LATEST NBA NEWS: Robert Williams III & Boston Celtics Updates
While not having Williams in the lineup isn’t ideal, the Celtics would likely trade missing more than half the regular season if it means that he is healthy for a playoff push. That is when they will really need him in the lineup as his interior presence is key to their success on both ends of the floor.
Without Williams, the Celtics could turn to Al Horford as the starting center with Grant Williams playing alongside him. Luke Kornet is the only other player listed as a center on the roster and Griffin could find consistent minutes in the frontcourt as well.
