Grant Williams Thread

[Fencer reregistered]

“Young guys go through a phase where they just try to prove that they belong. A lot of guys become jacks of all trades — they try to do everything well and you end up doing nothing well or nothing special,” said the Celtics President of Basketball Operations. “For Grant it was pretty simple. It was, you have a chance to be a great role player, you have a chance to become a physical, hard-nosed defender who can defend multiple positions, and you have a chance to be a good spot-up shooter who can then make the effort plays on rebounds and charges and those types of things. Not everybody can accept that at 22 or 23.

“Grant has really embraced it, and the key now is just become the best at that stuff. He’s gonna play in the league for 15 years because of that. A lot of guys never get to a position on a team where they understand how they impact winning and how best to maximize their career, and that’s right in front of him. If he does all those things at a high level, he’s going to have a long career.”

Williams’ rookie shooting slump got so bad — he missed his first 25 3-point attempts, a franchise record — that teammates started calling him Ben Simmons.

But he and the exiled Philadelphia star couldn’t be further apart now when it comes to shooting the basketball. He’s shooting a career-high 42.8 percent from 3-point range – eighth highest in the NBA. He’s now treated as a perimeter threat.

“Now they’re running me off, so I have to make the right read and drive and be able to make plays a little more in transition with the ball in my hands,” he said. “Complete offensive growth is the next step.”

https://www.bostonherald.com/2022/02/11/0207-bh-s-grantwilliams/

[zoyathedestroya]

He'd be averaging 12+ per game if they tried to set him up and find him more in those corners or in the post against smalls. I wouldn't mind bit of a dip in efficiency. This guy should be taking 6-8 3FGAs a game.

[Joshyjess]

If it wasn't for the rising Super Star Rob Williams, then I would give my vote to Grant Williams as the Most Improved player on the team. If nothing else, I think he's been the most consistent player all year. Last year you weren't sure what to expect when Grant entered the game, this year you know you are going to get extremely solid play on both sides of the ball.

[hugepatsfan]

Major come up for him this year. I've always thought he had the potential to be some combination of PJ Tucker/Boris Diaw. Slimming down has made him a viable candidate to play the 4 and defend on the perimeter and the jump shot has opened up his offensive game. He's always been a talented passer, but now with teams respecting his shot he's able to set the defense into the kind of rotations where he can use those passing skills.

He's developed into a nice role player, which for a pick in the 20s you should take it and run every time. Thank God we've salvaged something from these last 2 drafts.

[playa-hater]

If it wasn't for the rising Super Star Rob Williams, then I would give my vote to Grant Williams as the Most Improved player on the team. If nothing else, I think he's been the most consistent player all year. Last year you weren't sure what to expect when Grant entered the game, this year you know you are going to get extremely solid play on both sides of the ball.

I think they merit some MIP consideration league wide. Though Grant won't get any credit as they usually give it to starters.

[playa-hater]

Major come up for him this year. I've always thought he had the potential to be some combination ofPJ Tucker/Boris Diaw. Slimming down has made him a viable candidate to play the 4 and defend on the perimeter and the jump shot has opened up his offensive game. He's always been a talented passer, but now with teams respecting his shot he's able to set the defense into the kind of rotations where he can use those passing skills.

He's developed into a nice role player, which for a pick in the 20s you should take it and run every time. Thank God we've salvaged something from these last 2 drafts.

Didn't think it was possible before this season but Grant's ceiling is definitely Tucker/Diaw with maybe a much better jumper?? IMO.

[Curmudgeon]

Grant Williams is a college center who reinvented himself as a 3 and D wing. He saw what he had to do to succeed in the NBA and he did it. He lost weight and developed a reliable 3 point shot.

If Jared Sullinger had done what Williams did, Sullinger wouldn't be playing for the Shenzen Aviators.

[Joshyjess]

Grant Williams is a college center who reinvented himself as a 3 and D wing. He saw what he had to do to succeed in the NBA and he did it. He lost weight and developed a reliable 3 point shot.

If Jared Sullinger had done what Will8iams did, Sullinger wouldn't be playing for the Shenzen Aviators.

I still get sad thinking about what a waste Sullinger was. So much potential, so little discipline.
It is a pretty good comparrison though. I would say that Sully came into the league more talented than Grant did, but Grant worked hard to get himself as good as prime Sully, if not even better. Now, if Sully had put the kind of work into his game (and life) that Grant has, who knows what he could have become.

[Andrew McCeltic]

He'd be averaging 12+ per game if they tried to set him up and find him more in those corners or in the post against smalls. I wouldn't mind bit of a dip in efficiency. This guy should be taking 6-8 3FGAs a game.

I don’t know what he can add offensively, but limited post ups and face ups are there as a ceiling, and a little bit of perimeter ball handling. Biggest question is being able to finish consistently around size/length at the rim. 10-16 ppg floor-ceiling imo

[Andrew McCeltic]

Grant improved enormously in college, that’s why I’ve always been bullish on his pro upside. Big test is how the shooting looks next year.. even better, similar, minor decline, major regression.. but his form is good.

[zoyathedestroya]

Read on Twitter

Needs to make his next nine FGAs and 2 FTAs and he's back in the 50/40/90 club.

[Feed Your Head]

A new development with Grant is that he’s starting to drill the above the break threes. 37% for the season, but is at 46% over the last month or so, and the volume is higher.

That would be huge for the offense, Tatum/Grant pick and pops could be a staple. Ran it three times last night, Grant hit two of them

[steefP2]

He'd be averaging 12+ per game if they tried to set him up and find him more in those corners or in the post against smalls. I wouldn't mind bit of a dip in efficiency. This guy should be taking 6-8 3FGAs a game.

I don’t know what he can add offensively, but limited post ups and face ups are there as a ceiling, and a little bit of perimeter ball handling. Biggest question is being able to finish consistently around size/length at the rim. 10-16 ppg floor-ceiling imo

Fwiw this season he’s been elite at the rim. Doesn’t usually go up when there’s a ton of length around but he bullies inside, finishes at 78% at 0-4 feet. The driving off closeouts has been a major development imo, he’s quicker than I expected and always has been a good decision maker.

[Andrew McCeltic]

^^^ picking his spots at the rim is a good start.. the right comment of strength, mobility and verticality could do a lot.. he's gotten really good on defense - like White - at going up with both arms and blocking guys he's not supposed to block.

[fallguy]

A new development with Grant is that he’s starting to drill the above the break threes. 37% for the season, but is at 46% over the last month or so, and the volume is higher.

That would be huge for the offense, Tatum/Grant pick and pops could be a staple. Ran it three times last night, Grant hit two of them

Dribble drive frequency and competence also on the rise.

[LewisnotMiller]

Why is his ceiling low? He has improved his 3 point shooting and his defense every year. Why can't he keep improving?

He's just not athletic enough to ever be an all-star caliber player.

You don't have to be athletic. You just need to know how to play basketball. Is Jokic athletic? Was Bird athletic?

Love me some Grant Williams. And sure, Jokic and Bird weren't amazing athletes.
But they had good positional size, and all-time great levels of skill.

Grant should be a good player for us for a long time, a great locker room presence, and I think has starter potential. But the path to that is more like PJ Tucker as a 4 (not the Houston, small-ball centre option imho). That's just opinionative, obviously, and I hope I'm wrong and he becomes a star. But pretty happy with his trajectory, and think he'll keep steadily improving.

[LewisnotMiller]

A new development with Grant is that he’s starting to drill the above the break threes. 37% for the season, but is at 46% over the last month or so, and the volume is higher.

That would be huge for the offense, Tatum/Grant pick and pops could be a staple. Ran it three times last night, Grant hit two of them

Yeah...if that corner three becomes a shoot from anywhere three, it just makes him a much more useful piece in the offence. If he works out how to pop, that becomes even more true.
The corner three means he can play good minutes without hamstringing our spacing, and he's fast moving into a corner weapon at this point, which is great. Seems no reason that shooting can't improve in versatility.

[Marvel]

A new development with Grant is that he’s starting to drill the above the break threes. 37% for the season, but is at 46% over the last month or so, and the volume is higher.

That would be huge for the offense, Tatum/Grant pick and pops could be a staple. Ran it three times last night, Grant hit two of them

Dribble drive frequency and competence also on the rise.

Definitely noticed that from him this season. He doesn't drive with blinders on either like JB sometimes, he looks for the draw n pass to Rob or the kickout.

[Hal14]

Major come up for him this year. I've always thought he had the potential to be some combination of PJ Tucker/Boris Diaw. Slimming down has made him a viable candidate to play the 4 and defend on the perimeter and the jump shot has opened up his offensive game. He's always been a talented passer, but now with teams respecting his shot he's able to set the defense into the kind of rotations where he can use those passing skills.

He's developed into a nice role player, which for a pick in the 20s you should take it and run every time. Thank God we've salvaged something from these last 2 drafts.

agreed with most of that but Grant was not picked in the 2021 or 2020 draft - he was picked in 2019..

i get what you mean, though - Grant is definitely proving to be the best player we've taken in the past 3 drafts

[Feed Your Head]

A new development with Grant is that he’s starting to drill the above the break threes. 37% for the season, but is at 46% over the last month or so, and the volume is higher.

That would be huge for the offense, Tatum/Grant pick and pops could be a staple. Ran it three times last night, Grant hit two of them

Dribble drive frequency and competence also on the rise.

Definitely noticed that from him this season. He doesn't drive with blinders on either like JB sometimes, he looks for the draw n pass to Rob or the kickout.

One of my favorite plays from last night (there were many), Grant caught a pass in the corner, the defender closed out hard, Grant blew past him, avoided another defender, and hit Jaylen for a WIDE open three.

The low ceiling talk with Grant is kind of silly. I hope the Celtics try extending him this offseason, because dude will get PAID if he hits restricted free agency.