Who should be Boston Celtics' starting center this season, Al Horford or Robert Williams?
The Boston Celtics will feature a preseason training camp battle as Al Horford and Robert Williams vie for the starting center slot for the 2021-22 NBA season. Although Horford was a starter during his previous stint with the Cs from 2016 to 2019, the same isn't guaranteed this time around. New coach Ime Udoka is bound to give a good look at the up-and-coming Williams after his impressive playoff debut against the Brooklyn Nets.
Both players offer something different to the Boston Celtics as the man to patrol the shaded lane. Al Horford brings stability, veteran savvy and coveted outside shooting that defines how the center position is played these days. Robert Williams is superb on defense, offers a ton of hustle and features an underrated passing game.
Comparing the two potential starting centers for the Boston Celtics for the 2021-22 season
Here is a direct comparison of the raw career numbers of Al Horford and Robert Williams.
Horford is a prolific scorer with more field attempts and a better three-point shooting percentage than Williams. His career numbers show a versatile player who can function as the pivot of an offense with 3.3 assists a game. Throughout his tenure in the NBA, he regularly finds open teammates cutting to the basket or going for backdoor cuts. Horford is also adept at dishing dimes on fastbreaks or kicking the ball out to teammates when the defense collapses on him.
Here's a video of Al Horford's pinpoint passing like a true point guard.
The former Florida Gator can play both the 4 and 5 positions with ease because of the skill set that made him a five-time All-Star. He has played the power forward spot while Joel Embiid manned the paint in Horford's playing days with the 76ers. Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens also deployed him beside Aron Baynes when the Cs were facing a big frontcourt and when rebounds were crucial.
Although not extremely gifted as an athlete, Al Horford is a versatile and solid defender. He can stay in front of guards and jostle with power forwards and centers in the paint. In many cases, he makes up for his lack of athletic superiority with excellent reading and understanding of the game.
A look at this video will only be a small step in understanding how well Al Horford plays defense.
Robert Williams, albeit in limited minutes, is a force on defense. When healthy, he promises to be a perennial All-NBA Defense kind of talent. In Game 1 against the Nets in last year’s postseason, he tallied 11 points, nine rebounds, and a Celtics playoff record of nine blocks in just 23 minutes.
The Boston Celtics' brass is so enamored with the potential of Williams that they recently signed him to a four-year, $54 million contract extension.
With nine blocks against the Nets, Robert Williams III made history:
◽️ New Celtics playoff record for blocks
◽️ Most blocks from a reserve in a playoff game since 1974
◽️ First player to record nine blocks in a playoff game since 2012
H/T @EliasSports https://t.co/dLlPjsI2R2
While Al Horford lacks in athleticism, Robert Williams has a mountain of it. He stands at only 6'8 but is endlessly long because of his 7'6 wingspan. As he gains experience, Williams is learning to combine his freakish athleticism and length with the smarts and discipline of a great defensive player. Take a look at the defensive skillset that this young Boston Celtics bruiser already possesses.
Outside of his incredible play on defense, the Boston Celtics are high on Williams because of his emergence as a playmaker. In a regular-season game against the Houston Rockets on April 2, he dished out eight assists to go along with his 20 points and nine rebounds in a very efficient 26 minutes of play.
Like Horford, Williams could act as a playmaking big that will open up the lane for the team's bevy of slashers such as Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Dennis Schroder.
It could all boil down to timeline and development
Deciding who starts in the middle for the Boston Celtics is a good problem to have for Ime Udoka. In the end, the Celtics’ new head coach might lean towards Robert Williams as his development coincides with the timeline of the team’s unquestioned stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The more Williams develops chemistry with the two Jays, the better it is for the present and future of the Boston Celtics.