BOSTON — Boston Celtics rookie Robert Williams was sweaty all over again.

Under the bright lights pouring down from the TV cameras, Williams broke out in a heavy sweat as questions were lobbed at him about his defense Wednesday night in Boston’s 111-103 loss to the Phoenix Suns, and about his opportunity to get more playing time following Aron Baynes’ hand injury.

As the questions wrapped up and Williams tried to walk away, a member of the Celtics’ PR stopped him and handed him a towel. Williams gratefully wiped his face.

“Wearing his coat was a rookie mistake,” a reporter noted.

Throwing on a winter coat over his hoodie right before going under the hot lights was not Williams’ only rookie mistake Wednesday. Williams is a prolific shot blocker and a highlight machine (he’s averaging a staggering 6.2 blocks per 36 minutes). He’s proven capable slapping shots off the backboard and elite at closing out against shooters to contest on the perimeter. No other Celtics player can eat up the distance between the rim and the 3-point line as quickly as Williams.

But he’s prone to chasing opponent shots well outside the paint and contesting with all his might, which takes him out of position for the rebound – a significant issue for the Celtics when most of their best rebounders are hurt.

“He’s 21 years old,” Kyrie Irving said. “So we expect a lot out of Rob, but also there’s a learning curve for him. He does a lot of great things already, so I think the sky’s the limit for his potential and what he brings to our team. Obviously (he’s) getting more repetitions at this point, creating a lot of opportunities for us at the rim as well as getting blocks and protecting the paint. But us as guards when we’re missing guys, we have to help Rob rebound as well. He’s contesting, trying to go for every block, and our weak side … crashing and helping him out is just as important as him going for the rebound, so that’s part of being on a team. We all have to cover for each other.”

“That’s just something I need to work on defensively – when to go and when to stay,” Williams said. “So in due time, I’ll learn.”

At the start of the season, “in due time” was a perfectly acceptable timeline for Williams. With Al Horford and Aron Baynes firmly entrenched in the rotation ahead of him, Williams’ path to consistent minutes was foggy at best. The Celtics had the luxury of bouncing Williams between Boston and the Maine Red Claws.

But Baynes broke his hand in Wednesday’s game and will be out for the foreseeable future. Horford has missed six consecutive games and won’t play Friday against Milwaukee. Marcus Morris also sat out Wednesday because of a sore knee.

Suddenly, Boston’s big-man rotation is down to Williams and Daniel Theis. Williams’ opportunity to prove himself is now.

“I thought that he had some opportunities on offense that he’ll make plays with when he gets a little more used to the game and used to playing with those other guys,” said Celtics Coach Brad Stevens. “They were not paying a whole lot of attention to him on the perimeter and in the seams, and those are plays that he can make on that end of the floor. But the defensive end, I mean, he always protects the rim for us, and I think he’s showed himself well through these first couple months of the season for maybe what I would’ve expected at the very beginning of the year. … So that’s encouraging.”

MORRIS IS questionable for Friday’s game. The Celtics did not give an update on Guerschon Yabusele, who has been out since Dec. 8 because of a sprained ankle. If he’s able to return, he would give the Celtics a third option at center, along with Theis and Williams.

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