The Celtics lost their first game in over three weeks on Sunday afternoon and it was surprising to see one reserve that failed to see the floor in the 100-99 setback: Rookie big man Grant Williams.
The 20-year-old received the first DNP-CD of his Boston career in the defeat, largely due to a lack of production on the offensive end. The 6-foot-6 forward/center had missed the first 14 3-point attempts of his career and was knocking down just 28 percent of his shots as a whole on the year. Those numbers combined with the return of Enes Kanter and a strong start by Semi Ojeleye (11 points in Sacramento) left the first-round pick on the sidelines.
Williams looked set to spend a second game on the pine on Monday night in Phoenix after Brad Stevens went to five different players off the bench in the first 18 minutes of the C’s 99-85 win over the Suns. However, with the C’s facing an early second-quarter deficit in what had been a defensive struggle early on, Williams got the call midway through the second quarter. His impact over the final six minutes helped change the complexion of the game as the visitors rolled to a 23-6 run that provided an essential cushion for the final 24 minutes of a crucial road victory.
Williams had little to do with the offensive outburst (4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, +18 in 18 minutes) in the victory but his instincts on the defensive end were paramount in the win. A pair of blocks in the midst of the run enabled the C’s to turn blown defensive assignments into points the other way.
"Grant's two blocks were huge,” Stevens told reporters in Phoenix. “We were doing a pretty good job the whole night about guarding Booker the way we wanted to and being active, but it put us in some scrambles and put us in some rotations, and Grant covered for us.”
Rob Williams and Daniel Theis have been the top two shot blockers on this roster in the early going but the instincts Williams showed at center on two plays demonstrate exactly why he will be in the league for a long time.
The first one came against Kelly Oubre Jr. on an inbounds play. Williams had his back turned to the play while guarding Dario Saric on the screen, while Oubre’s man managed to get an open look at the hoop once Marcus Smart was picked off. What looked to be an easy layup for Oubre Jr. turned into a highlight reel play however as Williams sensed the danger and got involved in the play. He rejected the swingman with force after Smart was taken out of the play, which helped lead to a stop on the possession once Saric missed a long jumper after coming up with the offensive rebound.
Inject this Grant Williams block into my veins pic.twitter.com/ETKDaHoNLB
— Dante Turo (@DanteOnDeck) November 19, 2019
Walker ➡️ Grant Williams pic.twitter.com/se7KRYSlK6
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 19, 2019
Grant Williams NEEDS to play more minutes pic.twitter.com/0PmstCE7RB
— Dante Turo (@DanteOnDeck) November 19, 2019
