It Has Become Abundantly Clear That Robert Williams Should Never Come Off The Celtics Bench Ever Again

Pool. Getty Images.

Part of life is knowing when to admit you were wrong. I would like to take this opportunity to do just that.

Pretty much all season, I was pretty firm in my stance that when it came to Robert Williams and the big man rotation, I didn't really care who started. All I wanted to see was Rob play a consistent 25+ minutes a night. I was concerned about his health, I figured it didn't matter if he started as long as he found a way to close. It didn't seem worth pissing off Tristan Thompson and how that might impact the Celts relationship with Klutch moving forward.

Let me say this loud and clear. I was dead ass wrong. Could not have been more wrong. It might be the most wrong about I've ever been about anything in the history of my life. 

The days of Robert Williams coming off the Celtics bench have to officially be over. It's now worth pissing off Tristan Thompson and Klutch. First, let's use the eye test

Yup. That passes with flying colors. But I was then curious if the data was backing up what we've been seeing with our eyes. Factor in opponents, factor in whatever you want, here is the reality of what this team has looked like since Rob was inserted into the starting lineup

Record: 4-2 (4-1 when Rob played)

Offense: 7th

Defense: 6th

Net rating: 5th

Small sample? Yes. Very much so. But it's the start of what is hopefully a trend in the right direction. It's fair to say that while this might not all be due to Rob, considering he's the only thing that has changed during this stretch I'm inclined to believe he's played a major role. Let's go deeper.

Here are the on/off splits since Rob became a starter

As a team, I think we can all get behind a 126 Ortg / 108.8 Drtg / +17.6 net rating. Then you factor in a very nice 61% AST% and this gives you an idea of his impact on the floor. They shoot better, they pass better, they rebound better, they become harder to guard because they have a player who is almost always either looking to pass first, or rolls hard and finishes every lob in sight. It makes their offense so much more fluid. It's true that someone like Thompson might help on the offensive glass, but I cannot argue that skill alone makes it worth dropping off everywhere else. He doesn't pass like Rob, he isn't as effective as a finisher at the rim, and he has not been as good defensively.

Let's now go even deeper.

The big part of why Rob should forever be this team's starting five is how he works with that group. Tatum keeps talking about how much he loves playing with Rob, and since he became a starter, look at what their best 5 lineup is currently doing. That's the Kemba/Smart/Jaylen/Tatum/Rob group

44 minutes / 135.2 Ortg / 105.4Drtg / +29.8 net rating

I mean…holy moly. Even taking these numbers with a big grain of salt based on opponents, it's hard to argue with that production. Sliding Tatum back into the 4 spot, just like we saw last year when this team was a 48 win team and top 5 on both ends, seems like a no brainer. The two big lineup can go right to hell, or at the very least only be used in select situations. This team is at the best when it plays with one big and has shooters/playmakers surrounding said big. When that big is also one of your best passers (think back to the Horford era), it's no surprise things look a whole lot more fluid on that end.

Now maybe you want a little larger sample of this lineup. OK, I'm happy to provide it. Here are what those numbers look like on the season

58 minutes / 123.5 Ortg / 109.2 Drtg / +14.4 net rating

Of all the lineups we've seen this season that has played at least 58 minutes together (4th most), this current Best 5 lineup has the highest net rating and it's not even close.

As a starter, Rob's putting up 11.8/10.0/4.6/2.6/1.4 while shooting 72% from the field and 78.6% from the FT line while playing 27 minutes a night. That's certainly impressive. He's also done a better job at defending without fouling as well which has been nice to see. That's going to be the big thing for Rob moving forward. Can he find ways to be effective while still being able to stay on the court and avoid fouls. Tomorrow night will be a great test considering no big on this roster has been able to defend Embiid without fouling. 

The stretch run of this season has a pretty clear goal in my opinion. First and foremost, consistently play the right way. But it's also important that when we find something that works, we commit to it and get it as many reps as we can to prepare for the playoffs. No matter how you want to slice it up, Robert Williams being inserted into the starting lineup is not only working, it's thriving. We've all been searching for the tweak that could get this team on track, and maybe it was staring us in the face this whole time. Now that the training wheels are off, there is no need to go back to a life in which Robert Williams is not starting games. 

His impact is undeniable and if I'm man enough to admit I was wrong with how Brad should use him, it's time for Brad to admit it as well and not revert back to what didn't work before the trade deadline.