Forsberg: What Celtics should expect from Robert Williams in return

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The Boston Celtics, already gushing with confidence after holding serve in the first two games of an Eastern Conference first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets, are poised to get another jolt with the impending return of Robert Williams.

The Celtics upgraded Williams to questionable for Saturday’s Game 3 in Brooklyn and, barring a setback, there is hope within the organization that Williams can play a limited role in a return to the court.

UPDATE (6:10 p.m. ET): Williams is available to play Saturday night in Brooklyn, head coach Ime Udoka confirmed.

The Celtics will tread cautiously with reintegrating Williams, but there is no fear that an expedited return might aggravate his knee ailment. As long as Williams doesn’t experience inflammation or irritation after his ramped-up activity, he should be his usual high-flying self on the court.

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There will be obvious rust from a months-long absence, but Williams’ return feels a bit like the final infinity stone for a Celtics starting five that has been a steamroller during the 2021-22 regular season. That quintet owned a net rating of plus-24.3 in 443 minutes together this season, most notably limiting opponents to a defensive rating of 97.

That’s discouraging news for a Nets team that has seen its key offensive stars bottled up at times this series. Boston still could use a boost as the matchup shifts to Brooklyn, as it feels inevitable that Kevin Durant will catch a hot streak sooner than later.

Williams had a loud playoff debut in Brooklyn last year when he flirted with a Game 1 triple-double while blocking nine shots (to go along with 11 points and nine rebounds), all while playing on only nine healthy toes. Injuries forced him out of the series during Boston’s lone win in Game 3.

Williams can slot back into his free safety role and make Boston’s defense even more dynamic. The Celtics’ starters have been solid even with Daniel Theis in a starting role. In 30 minutes of floor time with the Horford/Theis combo together, Boston has a net rating of plus-14.8. Theis provided some necessary offense during Wednesday’s Game 2 triumph.

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Things got rockier when Theis was the lone big. In the 21 minutes that Theis has been on the court without Horford, Boston’s net rating plummets to minus-31.3, including a defensive rating of 141.

The Celtics had a net rating of plus-13.9 in the 761 minutes that Horford and Williams shared the floor during the regular season, including a defensive rating of 102.6.

There’s something to be said for the way the Celtics and Nets have navigated the return-from-injury process for Williams and Ben Simmons. While Simmons clearly has a more complex injury, the hemming and hawing about his availability -- with Simmons’ camp seemingly pushing a potential Game 4 return and Nets coach Steve Nash pleading ignorance earlier this week -- sort of spotlights how the team doesn't always feel like it’s on the same page.

The Celtics didn’t put any public pressure on Williams and set a timeline with some built-in flexibility. Everyone in the organization remained on message until Williams was close to game action.

Getting Williams back now can help the Celtics try to get to the finish line of the series while also allowing him to shake rust with the hope that Boston would be firing on all cylinders for whatever could potentially come next.

Note: Games 3-6 of the Brooklyn Nets-Boston Celtics series will be aired exclusively on NBC Sports Boston and can also be streamed on NBCSportsBoston.com or with the MyTeams App, which you can download below.

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