NBA training camps open in the final week of September, and between now and then, we’ll be pondering 20 questions about the Boston Celtics as we head into the new season. Today we look at Grant Williams, who needs to find his niche.
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New York’s restaurant scene is so crowded that sometimes the only way to survive is to find some kind of hook. Some have set up as speakeasies that rely on exclusivity behind a false front. Some commit to a bit, like serving all drinks in beakers and flasks, or one based on Tim Burton movies. Some just stick to one type of dish and try to do that better than anyone.
This is sort of where Grant Williams finds himself this season for the Celtics.
The roster has gotten quite crowded but there’s a little opening for him, possibly, in the frontcourt. He has a sliver of an opportunity to make an impact in a new situation.
What’s he going to do with it?
Niches are the name of the game nowadays, not just in the example I set up at the top, but in a lot of walks of life. The internet has created a loud din above which only a select few can be recognized. Carving out some space is part of Williams’ generational trademark at this point. Everyone his age is trying to figure out how to stand out. That’s why we have so many Instagram and TikTok stars.
So Williams should understand quite well that this concept certainly applies to his lot in NBA life.
I think it’s pretty clear right away that Williams is not going to be a do-it-all kind of player, no matter how much he develops. He’s not driving by anyone. He’s not a contested shot-maker. He’s not a dime-dropper.
Williams needs to rely on a specific set of skills and make it so Ime Udoka has no choice but to go to him when those skills are necessary. In a way, he’s the lefty reliever who gets paid to get one guy out (well, he would have been before baseball changed those rules. Work with me on this one).
Grant is coming off a tough season in a lot of ways, but if we’re being fair, he was thrown into some tough situations with no real warning. The NBA’s short turnaround made things messy for him and the Celtics. Suddenly, the NBA thrust a draft and free agency on teams, which gave Danny Ainge very little time to figure out Gordon Hayward’s situation. Free agents fell off the board in a hurry, and when Hayward became one of them, Ainge’s quick pivot to shell out free agent money led to two poor decisions.
Those rippled across the roster and put Williams in the unenviable position of trying to guard quicker perimeter players, which did not go well. That pulled him out of position and away from the screen-setting and board crashing that will earn him his paychecks.
And so Williams has to find his way back to the basics, with an added wrinkle.
Williams is at his best as a small-ball center, so he has to make sure every bit of his technique is on point. He can’t afford for the angle on any pick to be wrong. He can’t afford to hold it for too long, or not long enough.
If Williams can be the screen-setting, rebounding, solid defender he is capable of being, then he can get back on track. If Boston can count on him being able to spring Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown with solid screens and punish overreactions by making shots, then he might find himself on the floor in important moments.
The shooting part was lost in last year’s performance. Williams shot 37.2% on 3-pointers, a 12.2% increase from his rookie season. Oddly his free throw shooting suffered, which has to change, but that might have just been part of the mental toll of his weird season. Williams shooting 37% or better from deep is enough to earn him at least a look.
The wrinkle for Williams is showing improved lateral movement so he can switch and hold his own long enough to get some help.
Everything in his game should be geared towards being big, setting screens, and making open shots ... except finding it in him to be able to slide quickly for about 5-10 seconds. If he can switch onto smaller, quicker players and put himself in position to slow that person down, impede his progress to the basket, and force him to give it up, then he becomes valuable.
It’s an easy ask that will be tough to execute. He may not get many opportunities but he’ll have to make those that he gets count. It could provide the Celtics with an added wrinkle should they need to go small with a switchable big who can hit a 3.
Al Horford can’t quite do that anymore. Even if this isn’t the opportunity Grant Williams might be hoping for, it’s one he can excel in, and that will keep him getting paid.
The 20 questions series:
