Robert Williams agrees to four-year, $54M extension with Celtics, per report

Even though he has solely began in 16 video games over his first three years with the franchise, the Boston Celtics have clearly been proud of what they’ve seen from middle Robert Williams since deciding on him within the first spherical of the 2018 NBA Draft. The Celtics and Williams agreed to a four-year, $54 million contract extension on Friday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal will hold Williams below workforce management via the 2025-26 season. 

Williams’ function with the Celtics has continued to increase since his rookie season. He began in two video games and performed simply 8.8 minutes per recreation as a rookie. His taking part in time elevated to 13.4 minutes per recreation throughout his sophomore season. Final season, he began in 16 video games for Boston and averaged 8.0 factors, 6.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 blocks in 18.9 minutes per efficiency. Clearly, the Celtics view him as an enormous piece of the puzzle shifting ahead. 

The extension for Williams is the most recent transfer in what has been a busy summer season for the Celtics below the stewardship of recent basic supervisor Brad Stevens. Along with Williams, Boston has additionally signed veteran guard Marcus Smart to an extension, traded for Al Horford and Josh Richardson, and signed Enes Kanter and Dennis Schroder in free company. In addition they employed Ime Udoka to be the workforce’s new head coach following Stevens’ transfer to the entrance workplace. 

“I need to be a workforce that Boston can actually get behind, that performs with an ideal edge, that performs with a grit and toughness that is essential to compete on the very, very excessive stage,” Stevens said of the ’21-22 iteration of the Celtics earlier this week. “I feel Ime and his workers will do an ideal job teaching to that.”  

Williams will share time on the middle spot with Horford and Kanter subsequent season, although Williams ought to in all probability be penciled in because the starter given his age and upside. Plus, the Celtics went 10-3 within the video games that Williams began final season. Anticipate Boston to look to construct off of that shifting ahead.