Grant Williams, a 2019 first-round pick, will be entering the first free agency of his career as his rookie deal with the Boston Celtics has expired. Williams will be a restricted free agent (RFA) where the Celtics can match any contract that Williams accepts. Even so, it looks like there is some interest around the league already for the 24-year-old. So what should teams expect out of Grant Williams as a player?
Grant Williams Player Profile
Strengths:
Good All-Around Game
Williams is not a very flashy player, but he has made a career so far out of being a solid 3-and-D player. In the 2022-2023 season, Williams averaged 8.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.7 APG. All of these stats were career highs in his four-year career. Williams is also a career 37.9% three-point shooter and shot 41.1% in the 2021-2022 season. Williams also logged in a 112.9 defensive rating this past season, which was second-most on the Celtics behind Payton Pritchard.
Has Shown Up in Big Moments
Williams has been a solid role player for most of his career with the Celtics, starting just 44 games in the last two seasons, but he has shown up big a few times when needed.
Most notably was game 7 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks when he scored a career-high 27 points on a very efficient 10-22 performance, including shooting 7-18 from the three-point line. The Celtics won this game and eventually advanced to the NBA Finals that season.
Even this past postseason, we saw Williams go head-to-head with Jimmy Butler in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Especially in the playoffs, it is always beneficial to have someone who is not scared to back down from a challenge.
Still Has Potential
Williams is still a very young player at just 24 years old, and he has only improved over the years. He has not gotten a consistently big role with the Celtics, but Grant Williams could become exceptional if forced into a larger role. We have seen him show up on occasions where the lights are the brightest. It is tough to predict if this can be a regular thing for Williams, but at least we know he is capable of it.
Weaknesses:
Not Elite at Anything
While Williams has his strengths on the court, his biggest weakness is that he is not necessarily elite at anything. Instead, he is just very solid at many things. He is overall a really good defender, but he sometimes struggles against smaller guards or big centers.
Williams is also a player who you would not want in an isolation situation. Sure, it would not be smart to leave him open on the perimeter, but he has little shot-creating capabilities. He has shown flashes of driving into the paint and scoring, but it is not something that is completely ironed out yet.
Has Not Been Consistent
Williams could give your team 20 points one night and then have a single-digit scoring effort the next night. He can score when he is hot, but he lacks offensive consistency. His defense is a similar story. He does consistently have the effort, but what that effort amounts to is changed on a nightly basis.
It is most likely, however, Williams would not be signed to be anything more than a spark plug and/or a defensive specialist. This can be assumed that any team interested in him knows this as well.
Conclusion:
Grant Williams has been a solid player for the Celtics who any team would want to have. He is tenacious and versatile. Williams has shown that he can go hot from beyond the arc and make it tough on opponent’s number-one option. He has held his own against players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and even Steph Curry. Sure, it is safe to say he would not like guys like this down completely, but having someone who is not afraid of the challenge is always a plus. Williams has a role with the Celtics and plays up to it very well. Williams has shown flashes of being more than just a sixth man at times, but it is yet to be seen if this is something he can do consistently.
