• Robert Williams III has been traded away from the Boston Celtics in the Jrue Holiday trade
• Jayson Tatum shared an emotional goodbye story for Williams on Instagram
• Williams was a homegrown star who will now hope to move past his recent injury troubles in Portland
Robert Williams III was expected by many to be the starting center for the Boston Celtics for years to come after his contribution to their 2022 NBA Finals run. But Williams has been traded away for Jrue Holiday, prompting an emotional Jayson Tatum to say goodbye to a player he’s seen grow from his first day in the NBA to now.
“This one hurt. My brotha right here. The toughest part about this business. Appreciate you for everything. Super proud of the player you have become and excited to see how far you take it. Keep striving to be special and never change who you are. My dawg 4L till we link up again. Nothing but love.”
Williams averaged 8.0 points and 8.3 rebounds last season and was plagued with injuries for almost the entire year. He played just 35 games last season and saw his value to the win-now Celtics reduce due to unavailability.
The 25-year-old can now take the mantle of forming a twin-tower frontcourt with Williams being the defensive anchor and Deandre Ayton being allowed to unleash his offensive range on the Blazers.
The Celtics Have Built A Monstrous Starting Five
The Celtics may have lost a lot of depth this offseason with trades that sent away rotation pieces Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, and Marcus Smart. But they’ve replaced them with two massive upgrades in Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. They need to fill out their rotation for this team to be competitive but the starting five is ruthless.
Holiday will be the point guard with Derrick White presumably starting next to him. This instantly gives the Celtics the best defensive backcourt in the league and replaces the loss of Marcus Smart. The forward pair will remain Jaylen Brown and Tatum, with Porzingis as the center.
If Porzingis can realize the defensive potential he entered the NBA with and becomes a bonafide block threat, the Celtics will be the best defensive team in the NBA.
Al Horford will likely come off the bench, but the Celtics will hope more rotational players like Wenyen Gabriel can provide cover at the big man spot.
Boston Celtics: Favorites To Win The Championship?
Jayson Tatum averaged 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists last season while Jaylen Brown averaged 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists as the Celtics made another run to the Conference Finals.
The Tatum and Brown duo has to be considered one of the best in the NBA right now given the winning track record they’ve shown everyone over the last 6 seasons. This season, the help around them is as strong as it’s ever been.
Holiday averaged 19.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 7.4 assists last season. He was named an All-Star as well as an All-Defense First-Team selection. Porzingis had a resurgent season with the Wizards last season, shaking off injury-riddled years in New York and Dallas, averaging 23.2 points and 8.4 rebounds.
Derrick White is not a glamorous player, but he was one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA and became Boston’s primary guard option in the playoffs. They’ve retained their highest-performing players and upgraded around them.
The bench is objectively weak and needs reinforcing, but the Celtics still have plenty of assets to trade. They are limited on salary cap space though, so unless they move Horford, it’s unlikely they can get any major players for more than the veteran minimum.
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