Getty Grant Williams of the Boston Celtics.
Heading into Game 7, many wondered which role player would step up for the Boston Celtics when they needed him most, someone outside of the usual suspects who could knock down timely big shots and propel the Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals. In other words, who was going to be the Kelly Olynyk of the Bucks-Celtics series?
Olynyk’s standout performance played a huge role in the Celtics’ defeating the Washington Wizards in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference semifinals. He came off the bench to put up 26 points, five rebounds and four assists, but it was his 14 points in the fourth quarter that propelled the Celtics past the Wizards and into the conference finals, which is why it’s remembered so fondly today.
Because of the circumstances and, coincidentally, because May 15, 2022, marked the five-year anniversary of Olynyk’s heroics, Celtics nation asked who would step up this year.
we could use a Kelly Olynyk game from one of the non-star players
Derrick? Grant? Payton?
We need JT to play like game 7 Kelly Olynyk in the 2017 semis. One of the most clutch performances by a long haired white male against the Wizards in the playoffs in franchise history
The question was answered later that day.
Grant Williams Answered the Call
In 39 minutes of play in the Celtics’ 109-81 Game 7 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, forward Grant Williams put up arguably his finest performance as a pro. Scoring 27 points (a career high for Williams) made Grant the game’s leading scorer and his plus/minus of plus-25 was also the highest among the players in that game.
Williams’ 27 points were fueled by 7-for-18 shooting from 3-point land. He also had six rebounds and two blocks en route to being the Kelly Olynyk of the series.
The one difference between Williams’ performance and Olynyk’s was that the former’s contributions played a big role in an all-around blowout victory while the latter’s performance played a big role in winning a tight game. Nonetheless, Williams’ play in Game 7 inspired many to compare him to Olynyk.
If Kelly Olynyk can do it so can Grant
Grant Williams is the new Kelly Olynyk: Game 7 Legends of the Parquet. 💪🏽💪🏻 #BleedGreen
Grant’s Performance Makes Extension Talks More Interesting
Olynyk’s clutch performance against the Wizards appeared to play a role in his signing a four-year, $52 million contract with the Miami Heat that summer. With Williams putting up a similar performance against the Bucks, he may have set himself up for a lucrative contract extension this summer.
In 2017, Olynyk’s contract was expiring. Because he had not been extended, he was slated to enter restricted free agency after turning down a qualifying offer from the Celtics. To sign Gordon Hayward to a max contract that summer, they had to renounce Olynyk’s qualifying offer to create more cap space, thus making him an unrestricted free agent for Miami to sign.
Williams, who still has one year left on his rookie contract, will become eligible for a contract extension this summer. The Celtics have given contract extensions to Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Robert Williams III and Marcus Smart over the past several years because of the contributions they’ve made over the years. Unless they plan to trade most of those contracts, they won’t be chasing any max free agents, as they were in 2017.
Williams’ value isn’t as high as either Tatum’s or Brown’s, but the contract extensions that Smart (four years, $77.1 million) and Robert Williams III (four years, $54 million) signed in 2021 could set Williams’ price range. On top of improving on both ends of the floor this year, putting up one of the best performances of his career could present the Celtics with a “good problem,” according to Boston.com.