Where does Robert Williams rank among top NBA big men under 25?
How high has Time Lord jumped?Robert Williams is enjoying a breakout third season for the Boston Celtics while emerging as one of the NBA's most exciting young big men. But he's in a crowded group, as dynamic bigs like Zion Williamson and Domantas Sabonis already have become All-Stars before their 25th birthdays.So, where does Williams rank among the best young power forwards and centers in the league today? We ranked the top 10 NBA big men under age 25 to find out.
If you're searching for silver linings amid the Boston Celtics' frustrating 2020-21 season, just look above the rim.
Chances are that's where you'll find Robert Williams, the high-flying, 23-year-old center who's been one of Boston's few bright spots to date.
The 27th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft is enjoying a breakout season for the C's, averaging 8.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks over just 18.3 minutes per contest. After beginning the season in a reserve role, Williams has blossomed into a starter who can impact the game on both ends as an uber-athletic lob threat and rim protector.
The sample size is still small, but the more he plays, the more we get a sense of just how good Time Lord can be.
For some context on how Williams stacks up with his peers, we ranked the top 10 NBA big men under age 25. We're quantifying a "big man" as any player who primarily plays power forward or center in traditional basketball terms, and these rankings take both performance and potential into account.
Age: 20
2020-21 stats: 26.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, 0.7 bpg, 62.0% FG, 37.5% 3PT
No-brainer here. Williamson is built like a linebacker with the explosiveness and grace of a wide receiver and knows how to use his elite athleticism. He's increased his scoring average in every month this season kicked off April with a 34-point effort after missing three games due to injury. There's a big gap between Zion and the field.
Age: 23
2020-21 stats: 19.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 5.4 apg, 1.2 bpg, 56.4% FG, 25.0% 3PT
Adebayo earned All-Defensive Second Team honors last season and is one of the NBA's most versatile defenders. Combine that rock-solid defense with a quantum leap on offense -- Adebayo has increased his scoring average by more than 10 points over the last two seasons -- and you have the best young big man in the league not named Zion Williamson.
Age: 24
2020-21 stats: 19.9 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 6.0 apg, 0.6 bpg, 52.6% FG, 30.5% 3PT
Sabonis right on Adebayo's heels. While not as gifted defensively, Sabonis is an elite playmaker who leads the Pacers in assists this season at 6.0 per game. The son of Lithuanian hoops legend Arvydas Sabonis also is a double-double machine (fifth-most in the NBA to date), so he can beat you in a lot of different ways.
Age: 24
2020-21 stats: 14.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.2 bpg, 60.9% FG, 22.2% 3PT
Ayton's scoring is down from last season, but his efficiency is way up: His effective field goal percentage (61.3%) ranks 12th in the NBA, while his true shooting percentage (63.9%) ranks 16th. He's also a monster on the glass and is one of the few "traditional" centers who can impact winning (which the Suns are doing plenty of) on a nightly basis.
Age: 23
2020-21 stats: 18.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.0 bpg, 54.5% FG, 38.0% 3PT
Is Collins worth the maximum contract he'll reportedly seek this offseason? That's up for debate, as his stats have regressed across the board from his career-best 2019-20 campaign. But Collins' bar was extremely high. He's still a very efficient scorer with legitimate 3-point range and has the potential to be one of the NBA's best power forwards if he can point the arrow upward again.
Age: 21
2019-20 stats:* 17.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.6 bpg, 46.9% FG, 39.4% 3PT
*Has yet to play this season due to injury.
The No. 4 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft showed tantalizing potential last season, dropping 20 or more points in 23 games before his 21st birthday. Potential is all we have to go with at this point, as a lingering knee injury has kept Jackson out the entire season. That injury obviously is cause for concern, but if he can get healthy, he easily could vault into the top five of this list.
Age: 22
2020-21 stats: 13.1 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.7 bpg, 63.3% FG, 41.7% 3PT
Allen's move from Brooklyn to Cleveland limited his visibility, but he's averaging a near double-double for the second consecutive season and ranks seventh in the NBA in blocks per game. He's even connected on 5 of 12 3-pointers this season. Don't sleep on "Fro."
Age: 20
2020-21 stats: 11.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 0.7 apg, 1.0 bpg, 50.9% FG, 32.4% 3PT
If we're talking potential, Wiseman has it in spades. The 7-foot-1 rookie has started in Golden State from Day 1 and been an impact player on both ends, shooting over 50% from the floor while leading all rookies in blocks per game. The "rookie wall" may hit him down the stretch, but you'll be hearing Wiseman's name for a long time.
Age: 23
2020-21 stats: 8.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.8 bpg, 72.3% FG, 0% 3PT
How efficient has Williams been in limited action? Here are the five players with a better Player Efficiency Rating than Time Lord this season: Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Zion Williamson and Kawhi Leonard. If Williams can come close to maintaining that efficiency as an everyday starter, watch out.
Age: 23
2019-20 stats (32 games)*: 11.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 2.3 bpg, 47.0% FG, 34.0% 3PT
*Out for season due to injury.
Isaac falls into the Jaren Jackson Jr. category with higher defensive upside but a larger sample size. He's played in just 34 games since the beginning of the 2019-20 season and has missed significant time in all but one of his first four campaigns. Isaac's potential is the only thing keeping him on this list, but the clock is ticking.
Patrick Williams, Chicago Bulls
Wendell Carter Jr., Orlando Magic
Lauri Markkanen, Chicago Bulls
Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks
Ivica Zubac, Los Angeles Clippers
Williams had the highest upside of the Bulls' trio of young big men (before they dealt Carter to Orlando in the Nikola Vucevic trade), and you could make the case for swapping him with Isaac.
Robinson is a block machine who's been hampered by injuries, while Zubac has quietly emerged as a reliable big man for a deep Clippers team.
