Boston Celtics: 3 players that could be set for big breakout seasons

Boston Celtics breakout candidate No. 1: Rob Williams

You can make an argument that last season was actually Rob Williams breakout season. He effectively forced the Celtics front office to find new homes for Daniel Theis and Tristan Thompson based on how well he played. But he wasn’t able to stay fully healthy again, and his moments of success were fleeting due to his inability to stay on the court consistently.

Williams has struggled to stay healthy throughout the early stages of his career, and it feels like that is the only thing that is preventing him from developing into one of the better big men in the game. For all intents and purposes, he may very well already be there. The problem is we just haven’t seen enough of him on the court to truly know the answer.

Williams has proven to be a game-changing presence on both ends of the floor. He can block pretty much any shot that comes in the paint, and makes opposing players think twice before attempting a layup or dunk when he’s on the floor. He also is a skilled finisher at the rim, and has uniquely good passing vision as a center.

If Williams can stay healthy this season, he could end up earning an All Star berth. Not many centers have the ability to do what Williams can do, and if he ends up staying healthy and doing what he does on a nightly basis, the rest of the league will take notice.

Consistently performing is the next step in Williams development, and if he can do that this season, there’s no telling how far the Celtics can go this season. There may not be anyone who’s more important to Boston’s success this season than the Time Lord himself, and if he can have a breakout campaign this year, the Celtics will find themselves right back a top the Eastern Conference standings.