Grant Williams is no longer on the Boston Celtics, and, according to the horse’s mouth, he knew his days with the team were numbered. During his appearance on “The Old Man & The Three With JJ Redick,” Williams talked about when he knew his time in Boston was up.
“I had a pretty good understanding from the start (that) I probably wasn’t (returning),” Williams said. “Even just before free agency even happened. Before (the Kristaps Porzingis trade), I was like, (I) probably won’t be back. Not because of anything bad or anything like that. I was just more so, like, opportunity elsewhere and also like where I wanted to see myself in my career and how it was going.”
Williams then delved into how his role with the Celtics fluctuated, adding that the Porzingis trade made his departure a certainty.
“I want to win, but I also want to compete and impact winning and be of value to a team both on and off the floor. I thought I had that a little bit in Boston. Then the role got a little diminished (and) up and down in that last year, and I was coming back to a situation where I was going to be in a similar position probably. Then you add Kristaps. That made it a 100% guarantee of movement.”
With Porzingis on the team, Williams would have been the Celtics’ fourth big, restricting his playing time behind Porzingis, Al Horford, and Robert Williams III. That won’t be a problem with the Dallas Mavericks.
Grant Williams Explains How Celtics Changed
While talking with Redick, Williams discussed the difference between Joe Mazzulla’s and Ime Udoka’s coaching philosophy.
“So I think for Ime, he understood the importance of the defensive end and understanding that if a team scores 80 points, 90 points, no matter how many points we score, we give ourselves a really, really good chance of winning. While I think that Joe has a little bit more offensive, like, ‘If we make 20 threes in the game, we’re gonna win each game because we’ll have enough points because we’re going to have twos and fouls of things to add up.’”
For that reason, Williams believes that the Celtics weren’t quite as good on that end of the floor.
“That’s why I think this past year’s team had a little bit less connectivity on the defensive side of the ball because it wasn’t necessarily the priority or emphasis while the year prior it had been.”
Williams added that his thoughts are not a knock on Mazzulla as a coach.
Insider Expresses His Doubts Following Celtics Moves
Chris Mannix of NBC Sports Boston explains why he believes adding Porzingis while trading away Williams and Marcus Smart may not work out too well for the Celtics.
“Porzingis. I’m sorry. He worries me.”
@SIChrisMannix, @aminajadeTV and @ChrisForsberg_ weigh in on the state of the #Celtics, and whether they are better or worse after their offseason moves
“As of now, mid-July, the (Celtics are) worse. It really is Kristaps Porzingis for Grant Williams and Marcus Smart. That, to me, is a step back because Marcus Smart, even though he was flawed, you know what he is. Grant Williams, as bad as he was in the second half of the season, he shot 41 percent from 3 in the first half, and I think getting a contract and security would have made him better going into this season,” Mannix said.
Mannix then explained why Porzingis is a concern to him.
“I’m sorry, he worries me. He does. He had a great year last year, but he was in a contract year playing for a team that went nowhere. Now, he’s going to have the security of a long-term contract playing for a team that needs him to fit into a system to be highly successful. I just have my concerns at how seamless he’s going to fit into this mix.”
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Grant Williams Reveals When Knew He Wouldn’t Stay With Celtics