Forsberg: Grant Williams is quickly making quite a national name for himself originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
There is a case to be made that no one has been more vital to the Boston Celtics’ postseason success than Grant Williams.
The Nets might have run away with Game 2 if not for Williams steadying Boston’s ship late in the first quarter that night. His defensive exploits against Kevin Durant were excellent throughout that first-round series, but especially in Game 4 when he hounded Durant even during timeouts.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
Williams added to his postseason highlight reel on Tuesday night by routinely jousting with Giannis Antetokounmpo throughout a must-have Game 2. There were multiple instances where Antetokounmpo looked downright annoyed as Williams leaned on him at the start of defensive possessions and repeatedly absorbed contact trying to prevent Antetokounmpo from taking over in the second half.
Celtics Talk: Is Grant Williams Boston's playoff MVP? Reaction from Celtics' Game 2 win over the Bucks | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
NBC Sports
After two seasons with a limited playoff role, Williams has emerged as a key two-way piece for the Celtics. In six postseason appearances this year, he’s averaging 12.3 points while shooting 55.2 percent beyond the 3-point arc and adding 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
It’s his work on the defensive end that really leaps off the page. Williams entered the league as a bit of a tweener -- he helped the Celtics as a small-ball 5 in the bubble then seemed to lose his way a bit after bulking up last season. This season, Williams can confidently guard MVPs who are at least six inches taller than him thanks to his strength, and move his feet quick enough to stay with any guards looking to attack him on switches.
Here’s a sampling of Williams’ postseason defensive exploits to this point, per NBA’s defensive tracking data:
Maybe the most incredible part about Williams’ development has been his ability to play while limiting his fouling. During his rookie season, Williams averaged seven fouls per 36 minutes during his first postseason foray. The War on Grant was more gruesome than the War on Theis.
This year, he’s down to 3.1 fouls per 36 minutes, playing fundamentally sound basketball and doing his best to contest while going straight up. Williams probably deserved to get a couple whistles against Antetokounmpo while attempting to draw charges in Game 2.
Williams ranks 14th in the NBA while contesting 15.8 shots per game this postseason. Only Al Horford (18.0) contests more on Boston’s roster. Williams is holding opponents to 45.3 percent shooting overall, or 5.3 percent below expected output. His best work has come inside the 3-point arc with opponents shooting 9.2 percent below expected on all 2-point shots.
It seemed preposterous when Williams sent out Jaylen Brown with a declaration that he wanted to be known as Batman after blocking the Joker (Nikola Jokic) during a game against Denver. But Williams has earned the right to pick his nickname with his play ever since.
He’s become such a vital part of Boston’s success that four fans with baseline seats wore Tennessee-orange shirts with G-R-A-NT spelled out (did a fifth guy miss the trip?!) across their shirts and they gleefully celebrated all six of his 3-point makes and each of his gritty defensive stands against Antetokounmpo.
Williams might be setting himself up for a nice payday this summer when he becomes extension eligible. He’s on the books for a mere $4.3 million next season but the Celtics can -- much like they did with Robert Williams III -- attempt to find a number that keeps Williams part of this core deep into the future, all while eliminating the risk of him hitting restricted free agency in the summer of 2023.
It’d be a worthwhile expenditure. Not only does Williams fit perfectly into what Boston needs from role players with his 3-and-D ways, but he has a close relationship with the stars on this team.
Williams and Brown have their rock-paper-scissors battle before tip-off of each game (Williams proudly suggests that he won roughly 70 percent of the regular-season battles and suggests that Brown is, "pretty predictable" at the game). Williams was familiar with Jayson Tatum from being in the same 2016 high school class and actually spent time at Tatum’s home when Williams came for his pre-draft workout in 2019. Williams’ non-stop chatter is the perfect complement to Tatum’s quieter ways.
But the most important part is how Williams has blossomed as both a shooter and defender in Year 3. The days of him missing his first 25 3-pointers seem like a lifetime ago. He’s eager to take on any defensive challenge now. And that’s made him an invaluable piece of Boston’s success early in this postseason voyage -- and whatever is ahead.
