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Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III is expected to make his season debut Friday against the Orlando Magic, per The Athletic's Shams Charania. Williams underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in September and is now set to return to a Celtics team that owns the best record in the league at 22-7. 

This is a huge boost for Boston, who have already started the season out strong, and will now get their rim-protecting big man back in the fold. It's unclear if Williams will be on a minutes restriction upon his return, but given his lengthy injury history, which includes a torn meniscus last season, the Celtics will surely want to be cautious when easing him back in. 

Williams thrived last season once the Celtics allowed him to play more freely on the defensive side of the ball, acting as a roamer in the paint and flying around the court to make plays. Had he stayed healthy, he likely would've been more in the mix for Defensive Player of the Year, but, instead, that honor went to teammate Marcus Smart. 

The Celtics currently have the eighth-ranked defense in the league, which will surely improve with Williams' return. Once Williams has gotten his footing back under him, it'll also allow the Celtics to have more depth in the second unit, with Derrick White moving to the bench to share ballhandling responsibilities with Malcolm Brogdon. The Celtics currently rank 20th in the league in bench points, and moving White to the second unit with Williams' return will give a boost to the reserves while the starters are on the bench.

Boston has already been a dominant team out of the gates, and the return of Williams will make them even more difficult to deal with for opponents going forward.