Getty Ja Morant will face the Boston Celtics tonight
Grant Williams shared some glowing thoughts on Ja Morant ahead of the Boston Celtics March 3 game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
“He’s MVP in my eyes already this early in his career. So, a lot of tremendous respect to him, and what he’s done,” Williams said following the Celtics comeback win against the Atlanta Hawks on March 1.
Morant and the Grizzlies have been one of the NBA’s most feel-good stories of the season, as the team has risen to prominence on the back of multiple players taking a jump in development as the year has worn on. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the Grizzlies’ rise, is that a large portion of the rotation was acquired in recent draft cycles, which means their best talent is all homegrown.
“The team that they have, they play together every single night. They’re one of the most fun teams to watch in my opinion, we’ve got to give enough credit to them, but understand that we’re coming in with a great mentality and fight,” Williams said.
The Celtics will be without Jaylen Brown for their game against Memphis as he recovers from an ankle sprain that saw him leave the court after just four minutes of play against the Hawks earlier in the week. So, the Celtics will have their work cut out for them in containing one of the most explosive offenses the NBA currently has to offer.
Grant Williams Has Also Wildly Improved This Season
When you think of the Grizzlies, and all of the improvements their players are displaying this year, it’s easy to forget about your own team’s players who have displayed growth. For Celtics fans, one of those players is Grant Williams, who has gone from a net negative last season to one of the team’s most important players this year.
“My rookie year, I had to gain weight to play the 5. Then I never lost that weight. Now, I’ve lost 12-15 pounds. I’ve got another 8-10 to lose to be able to play the 4 more,” Williams said during Celtics Media Day before the season began.
Grant Williams on where his body is at now: “My rookie year, I had to gain weight to play the 5. Then I never lost that weight. Now, I’ve lost 12-15 pounds. I’ve got another 8-10 to lose to be able to play the 4 more. I want to be like a ‘Baby Al’.”
Williams stark improvements have come on both ends of the floor, with the third-year big man making a name for himself as both a perimeter and low-block defender. On offense, Williams is third in three-point percentage, sitting behind Luke Kennard and P.J. Tucker.
This year has been an impressive turnaround for a player who many thought wouldn’t make the grade in the NBA just 10 months ago. The weight loss has enabled Williams to keep pace with quicker players but has allowed him to retain his strength so that he can still defend and attack the low-block. With just under a quarter of the regular season remaining, it’s fair to say the Texas native is in with a shout of being named the 2022 Most Improved Player.
Brad Stevens Speaks on Ja Morant Threat
In a recent radio interview, President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens answered some questions about his team, but also discussed Boston’s upcoming opponent, more specifically, their elite guard.
Stevens on Ja Morant, who Boston plays tonight: “He’s really good. And not just his skill, but his personality and his enthusiasm, you can tell it’s contagious.”
Stevens said the Grizzlies are a “real, real team” because they’ve kept winning even when players have been out.
Morant is currently averaging 27.6 points, 6.6 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game on 49.8% shooting from the field and 34.4% shooting from deep. The All-Star guard is exactly the type of player the Celtics struggle to contain, and will likely punish Boston’s switch everything system every opportunity he gets.
However, Marcus Smart is arguably the best defensive guard in the NBA and will be doing his utmost to contain Morant and his Grizzlies teammates during the upcoming contest. Luckily, Smart is a former teammate of the Brooklyn Nets Kyrie Irving, so he has plenty of experience trying to shut down quick, skillful guards.
Only time will tell if Jayson Tatum and co. are able to halt the Grizzlies momentum, but without Jaylen Brown, that task is looking increasingly difficult.