All things being equal, you can’t blame Isaiah Thomas for his skepticism given he himself was once in exactly the same position as Boston Celtics big man Robert Williams III is in now. The former King in the Fourth tweeted “Heard that before lol” in response to an article posted to Twitter by NBC Sports’ Kurt Helin titled “Report: Celtics told Robert Williams playing through injury won’t make knee worse”.
IT was greenlighted to play in the 2017 NBA Playoffs on an injured hip that would ultimately derail and nearly end his NBA career, which Thomas seemed to imply was the fault of Boston’s medical staff.
Timelord’s injury is a very different one with a fairly broad consensus about the risk involved, but given Thomas’ personal experience with the team and his own injury, such a reaction is very understandable.
Or will the season end at the buzzer of Game 6 at TD Garden Thursday? https://t.co/00fyNiN8r1
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) June 16, 2022
Athletes should always question narratives about playing through pain for glory when there is such a considerable amount of money at stake, and while Williams has earned enough in his current deal to take care of himself for life, that doesn’t mean he should be incautious with his future.
Presumably, the Celtics — who have since overhauled their medical staff considerably — are taking the same footing given the black eye a similar outcome would have on their organization.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!