Robert Williams of the Boston Celtics underwent a torn meniscus surgery, and he’s expected to return in 4-6 weeks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
That means that he could be back in the lineup during the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Celtics saw the bigman going down with injury during Sunday’s home win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Now, he will miss the last seven games of the regular season and the first round of the NBA playoffs. Williams’ injury came as a bit of shocking news to a red-hot Boston Celtics team, which won 22 of its last 26 games.
In the first game without starting center, Boston suffered a 112-115 OT loss to the Toronto Raptors. The team is preparing to face the Miami Heat Wednesday in an important game for the Eastern Conference standings.
Derrick White said the Celtics got to have the “next-man mentality” to cover for Williams’ loss.
“Obviously, Rob has a great impact on both sides of the floor, and what he does cannot be replaced,” White said on Williams.
Boston is sitting at 47-29, which ranks as the third-best record in the East. Williams is averaging 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, all career highs. The Celtics are among the best defenses in the NBA leading the league in defensive rating.
The Celtics will need to cover for Williams for as long as he remains out. They can use their final seven games of the regular season to see ways to remain dominant even without their starting center.
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