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Things haven’t been straightforward for the Boston Celtics this season, having to adjust to a new coaching staff, multiple roster moves, and a former head coach now running the show in the front office.
However, in times of turbulence, there is always a player who rises to the occasion and grasps their opportunity with both hands. This season, that player is Grant Williams. The third-year combo big came into this season after a diabolical sophomore year, where his poor performances began to raise questions about his long-term opportunities in the NBA.
Still, Williams has shrugged off those bad memories and rebuilt himself into a three-and-d specialist who can guard multiple positions, both on the perimeter and in the paint. That type of player holds immense value around the league, especially for contending teams that need reliable production from the bench.
Williams is entering the final year of his rookie-scale contract, which was a team option that the Celtics exercised. However, once next season reaches its conclusion, the Tennessee product will become an unrestricted free agent, and if he follows his current developmental trajectory, the Celtics could be priced out of a deal to retain him.
That’s why a source close to the situation believes that Brad Stevens will begin to discuss a contract extension with the breakout big man once the post-season reaches its conclusion.
“The feeling in Boston is that Williams has put himself in line for a contract extension, and he will be eligible for one in the offseason. A source says Williams would like to sign on to stay. A deal in the range of what center Robert Williams (whose value was dinged by his health questions) got is likely. Robert Williams signed for four years and $47 million,” Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney wrote in a recent article.
Williams Weight Loss Spurred Improvements
Being a six-foot-six power forward is not ideal in the NBA, especially when you’re also expected to play some small-ball five minutes. Such is the Draymond Green effect on the league these days, courtesy of his tremendous impact on the Golden State Warriors and the notion of small-ball as a whole.
Still, due to his multi-positional skillset, Williams found himself needing to carry additional weight so that his body could withstand the physicality of defending the post. However, as a sophomore, the second-year combo big was tasked with a lot more perimeter defense, which caused him to struggle when facing quicker wings or guards.
Those struggles are what led to people questioning the North Carolina native’s NBA future. So, during the past off-season, Williams took it upon himself to slim down and focus on his perimeter defense and three-point shooting and has been reaping the rewards ever since.
“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. At the end of the day, I’m going to play towards the role that I’m asked to play. Whatever that is, whatever the team needs, that’s what I’ll be,” Williams noted during media day before the season began
Three-Point Shooting Helped Williams Earn Floor Time
Boston’s perimeter-based offense has struggled throughout the season, most notably during the opening months, when even Jayson Tatum was struggling to see his shots fall. Luckily, Williams has grown into his role as a floor spacer on offense, and he quickly became an offensive threat off the bench.
In fact, Williams finished the 2022 regular season in the NBA’s top-20 for three-point percentage, hitting 41.1% of his three’s on a total of 256 attempts throughout his 77 games played.
Williams, 23, is also growing into a leading voice within the Celtics locker room, and can often be seen encouraging his teammates from the sidelines or when he’s sharing the floor with them. With such an infectious personality and rapidly improving game, it’s no wonder people are starting to call for the talkative young Celtics to be locked down for the foreseeable future.
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