NBA Rumors Roundup: Victor Wembanyana looking for the right fit instead of the 'no. 1 pick' tag, Damian Lillard admits getting overwhelmed by Blazers' offer, and more | September 21st, 2022

The Boston Celtics could look at NBA veterans LaMarcus Aldridge and Dwight Howard to fill in for the rehabbing Robert Williams

The NBA’s Eastern Conference champs are already beset with injuries with training camp clearly on the horizon. They previously lost new acquisition Danilo Gallinari to a potentially season-long ACL injury. They now have to contend without Robert Williams in training camp, preseason and probably early into next season.

As a stop-gap measure, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski brings up two names that the Boston Celtics might be interested in:

“If they decide they want to add somebody, Dwight Howard is out there, LaMarcus Aldridge is out there, a player I was told they showed a little interest in this summer.”

Robert Williams is expected to miss four to six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. Without him, Boston could be forced to play Al Horford more, which isn’t a good idea given “Big Al’s” age. Grant Williams and Jayson Tatum could also play more minutes at the power forward spot to make up for Robert Williams’ absence.

The Celtics expect even bigger and greater things from their defensive lynchpin next season. He was a big reason why the team went two wins short of the NBA championship. Williams’ presence on the floor forced the Golden State Warriors to adjust their game plan, particularly when driving to the basket.

Without him, Boston will be without its defensive anchor.

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The Minnesota Timberwolves need shooters and playmakers

The Minnesota Timberwolves blew open the off-season trading hoopla when they acquired Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz. For a package involving several players and draft picks, the Timberwolves supposedly addressed their biggest issues last season.

With rebounding and interior defense both significantly improved with Gobert in town, Minnesota’s needs could lie somewhere else. The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski, who extensively covers the Timberwolves, named shooting and playmaking as the team’s biggest needs.

Outside of Karl-Anthony Towns, who shot 41% from three-point range last season, no one on the Timberwolves’ roster is shooting at least 40%. Jaylen Nowell and Taurean Prince are the next two most efficient shooters after the NBA All-Star big man, averaging 39.4% and 37.6%, respectively.

Anthony Edwards, who is expected to make another significant leap next season, made only 35.7% of his shots from beyond the arc. D’Angelo Russell, the team’s point guard, was even worse with a 34% clip.

Playmaking could also be a problem if and when Russell sits down. Backup point guards Jordan McLaughlin and McKinley Wright IV are youngsters with a ton to prove.