BOSTON – As the first round of the NBA draft progressed, the Boston Celtics had a pool of players – mostly wings – that were on their wish list with the 27th pick.
But the Celtics changed course quickly when one of the more talked about bigs coming into the draft, was on the board when it was their time.
Boston used the 27th pick to select Texas A&M’s Robert Williams, a player that not that long ago was considered a potential lottery (top-14) pick.
Williams, a 6-9 bruising forward with a ridiculous 7-6 wingspan, was a near double-double last season, averaging 10.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game while being named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in each of his two seasons with the Aggies.
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ROBERT WILLIAMS
HEIGHT: 6-9
Boston Celtics
WEIGHT: 241
COLLEGE: TEXAS A&M
POSITION: FORWARD/CENTER
STATS LAST SEASON: 10.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocked shots.
Summary: One of the more impressive bigs in this draft, most projected Williams to be selected as early as the mid-teens, to the early 20s of the first round. His 7-foot-6 wingspan allows him to play well above the rim in addition to being able to defend both in man-to-man and provide help-side coverage. We saw that at Texas A&M where he was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in each of his two seasons on campus. Combine that with his above-average athleticism and you have a player that can really fit in well when surrounded by the kind of shooters that the Celtics have on their roster. The biggest concern with Williams remains his motor which has a tendency to fluctuate more than it should. If he can become more consistent along those lines, this will be one of the biggest draft night steals this year.