1st rounder Robert Williams off to a sleepy start with Celtics

Robert Williams did not have the most reassuring of introductions to the Boston media on Friday.

First, the Celtics could not find their first-round pick from the night before for a late-morning conference call. Then, the 20-year-old Louisiana native’s comments were barely decipherable when the call was rescheduled an hour later.

But if the Texas A&M product shows up for next Friday’s in-person press conference without [...]

Robert Williams did not have the most reassuring of introductions to the Boston media on Friday.

First, the Celtics could not find their first-round pick from the night before for a late-morning conference call. Then, the 20-year-old Louisiana native’s comments were barely decipherable when the call was rescheduled an hour later.

But if the Texas A&M product shows up for next Friday’s in-person press conference without incident, and starts swatting away shots and throwing down power dunks in summer league practice, the head-scratching sequence from Friday will turn into an amusing footnote.

“You always have people who are going to doubt you,” he said during the second try at the call. “I know I am going to make a lot of noise when I get there.”

Williams, who opted against coming to the NBA Draft in New York and instead held a draft party at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Shreveport, La., said he ran to his aunt’s house after a late night of celebrating and fell asleep. He said his sister woke him up late Friday morning asking about the conference call.

“It was a good night’s sleep after a busy two days,” he said.

The missed conference call caused a bit of a stir — especially for a player who slid to Boston at No. 27 reportedly due to commitment and work-ethic concerns during the pre-draft process. But the team termed the delay as a “miscommunication” while Williams talked about being “blessed” to be going to Boston.

While many of his answers were tough to understand, he did say he was excited to join Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, hopes to gain knowledge from watching Al Horford each day, and thinks he can make a big impact on defense.

“I love defense,” he said. “I feel like I thrive off defense. The Celtics have a defensive excitement that comes with hustle plays and diving on the floor. It gets the team and the fans going. I feel I can bring a lot of energy on that end of the floor.”

Williams was the two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 2.5 blocks per game in two seasons. He averaged 8.7 rebounds per game in his career, including 9.2 his sophomore season.

“He’s a rim-protector and a rebounder,” Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said late Thursday night after the draft. “And he can play above the rim on both ends of the court. We don’t have much of that. We have a little bit of that, but not what he can do.”

That raises the question of why an ultra-athletic, 6-foot-9, 245-pound potential frontcourt force with a 7-6 wingspan fell from his projected lottery spot into the final picks of the first round. The answer begins with Williams skipping the NBA Draft Combine and concerns about his motor and focus.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Thursday night the team will create an environment for Williams to succeed, but that he has got to learn from the professionalism and drive of players like Brown, Horford, Tatum and Gordan Hayward, and “come to work” starting with the first summer league practices and weight-training sessions.

Setting the alarm to make sure he gets there on time would be a nice place to begin.