Getty Grant Williams, Boston Celtics
On Wednesday, March 8, the Boston Celtics snapped their three-game losing streak courtesy of a 93-115 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Following the game, Portland guard Keon Johnson shared an image of him and Grant Williams from the game on his Instagram page, with the caption ‘Brotha Man @GrantWill2.’
Keon Johnson showing Grant Williams some love on IG 🍀💪
Williams and Johnson played together during their collegiate days for Tennesse, with the Celtics wing entering the league one year before Johnson, and judging by Johnson’s post; it’s fair to assume the pair remain close.
Recently, Williams has been struggling for form and has seen his role within the Celtics rotation come under question, with was once again displayed by his 12 minutes of playing time against Portland, where he scored 8 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and garnered 1 steal.
If the Celtics are going to make a deep postseason run, they will need to get Williams playing at the level we saw from him last season and in the early months of the current campaign because when he’s at his best, he is among the premier three-and-d talents in the league.
Al Horford Speaks on Grant Williams’ Struggles
When speaking to the media following the Celtics’ March 8 victory, Al Horford was asked his thoughts on Williams’ current struggles, leading the veteran center to praise his teammates’ professionalism and positivity.
“I think the biggest thing is for him to continue to work and stay ready and do the things he needs to do, and he’s been great at that. Grant has been very professional, very positive, and when he’s getting these opportunities, he’s making the most of them. It’s something that as a team, we’re just rallying together…All we’re worried about is continuing to get wins and continuing to play the right way,” Horford said.
Williams is Currently Playing Through an Elbow Injury
According to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, part of Williams’ recent struggles is that he’s playing through an elbow injury, with the first signs of the issue appearing during Boston’s February 12 contest against the Memphis Grizzlies.
“Williams has been struggling with a ligament strain in his shooting elbow exacerbated by inflammation in the surrounding muscle, league sources with knowledge of the situation told The Athletic…Williams had to stop lifting heavy weights for several weeks, though he returned to his normal routine before re-aggravating the injury in practice before Sunday’s double-overtime loss to the Knicks in which he played 45 minutes. According to those sources, throughout this injury, Williams has experienced discomfort turning or grabbing with his right hand,” Weiss wrote.
If Williams’ injury is limiting his ability to be effective on the floor, then it’s likely that we will continue to see him receive limited minutes in Joe Mazzulla’s rotation as the Celtics prioritize his recovery in the hope that he will be back to his best for when the postseason gets underway later this year.