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Grant Williams has taken a statistical leap offensively for the Boston Celtics this season, averaging 10.3 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 57.6 percent from the field and 47.6 percent from three, all of which are career highs for him.
In a November 22 The Ringer story, Kevin O’Connor spoke highly of Williams, comparing his performance to four-time NBA champion Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
“Williams receives no credit in the traditional box score for a screen like the one above. But Second Spectrum tracking data recognizes his impact: The Celtics are scoring 1.34 points per off-ball screen set by Williams, which leads all players to set at least 100 of them this season, just ahead of another one of the game’s best screeners: Draymond Green,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor went on to praise Williams for what he can do and how he fits with the Celtics offensively.
“Though Williams isn’t a high-usage playmaker like Green, he’s capable of more than what the Celtics need from him given the excess of shot creators on the team. Virtually everyone on the team can facilitate. The fact that Williams can be used at the top of the 3-point line, on the short roll, or from the elbows, gives the Celtics immense flexibility given his place on the hierarchy of the roster.”
Williams was inserted into the starting lineup on November 7 against the Memphis Grizzlies, where the Celtics have gone 7-1 since.
Insider Provides Details on Grant Williams’ Extension Talks
In a November 14 HoopsHype story, Michael Scotto detailed where both Williams and the Celtics were when they discussed a possible extension while adding what it could potentially take to pry Williams away in free agency.
“During extension talks with Grant Williams, the Celtics never offered more than $50 million guaranteed over four years, league sources told HoopsHype. As I previously reported on HoopsHype, Williams would’ve taken a deal for $14 million annually. There are some around the league that believe an offer around $18 million annually could be too much for Boston to match in restricted free agency,” Scotto wrote.
Williams will hit restricted free agency this summer once his rookie deal ends. If he keeps up this level of production throughout the whole season, he’s going to be paid handsomely for his services.
Williams Praises Teammates
During an interview with NBC Sports Boston, Williams praised his teammates Jayson Tatum and Malcolm Brogdon.
Williams detailed what his relationship with Tatum is like. While he acknowledges that he annoys Tatum, he understands the importance of having him as a leader.
“I feel like I embrace the fact that I annoy him,” Williams said. “That’s probably the number one thing. I annoy a lot of people, so it’s one of those things that you learn to love me. I know that for him, I try my best to keep him in a good attitude, good mind because he’s our leader. He’s the cog that makes us run.”
Williams then went on to praise Brogdon for what his presence on the court brings to the Celtics.
“He does a good job of penetrating into the paint and spreading out the shooters around him and creating shots for himself. He provides different values and opportunities to a team that needed it. He’s been very, very powerful in his way of approach every single day. He’s been very good in his ability. He’s been just true to himself, and he’s allowed himself to blossom with the success we have with one another.”
