Last season saw numerous members of the Boston Celtics experience a breakout season, with Grant Williams and Robert Williams arguably the two biggest beneficiaries.
Of course, Jayson Tatum took another leap toward superstardom and was named in the All-NBA First Team as a result, while Jaylen Brown also proved he’s capable of becoming a star in his own right. Yet, it was Grant Williams who impressed the most, bouncing back from a difficult sophomore season to become an integral member of the team’s rotation and one of the best corner three-point shooters in the league.
With that being said, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz has listed Williams as the Celtics’ best young prospect, noting that Williams is already seen as a core piece to a team looking to contend for a championship.
“He averaged 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and shot 41.1 percent from three in 24.4 minutes as a part-time starter, giving Boston a knockdown shooter in the frontcourt. If everyone’s healthy, he’ll likely be the backup power forward to Al Horford and the first big off the bench for a Celtics team with championship aspirations,” Swartz wrote.
Williams Wants to Stay in Boston
With all the current rumors surrounding the Celtics and Kevin Durant, Grant Williams is a name that is sometimes thrown in as a potential makeweight, especially after the season he’s just had.
When speaking to Sportscasting’s Mike Thomas, Williams discussed potentially being traded to the Brooklyn Nets, and why it would both be an honor but also be something he would wish to avoid.
“If I get involved in the KD trade — I don’t want to leave Boston, I love Boston, it’s one of the places I want to be — but he’s a top-10 player ever…You can say, ‘Dang, I got traded for Kevin Durant. I was a value add in that trade.’ It’d be cool to say that, but at the same time, I don’t want to go anywhere. I’d rather stay where I’m at,” Williams explained.
Williams finished last season ranked in the 87th percentile for conversion rate on his corner three-point attempts, and was also considered to be one of the better perimeter defenders at his size, so it will be interesting to see what he adds to his game next.
Williams is Eligible For a Contract Extension
As he enters his fourth season in the NBA, Williams is also entering the final year of his rookie contract, and is thus, eligible for an extension – something which has been a talking point amongst Celtics fans since the off-season began.
When speaking to Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney, an Eastern Conference Executive noted that he believes Boston will offer the extension before the start of the season and that it will likely be within the $45-$50 million range.
“He has played so well but you know, you see his limitations, too. In the end, his number is going to be somewhere around what Robert Williams got, four years and $45-$50 million. He is very good at what he does, he does a good job filling in as a starter, but off the bench is his best role. They will be fair to him and I don’t think either side will play hardball there,” The executive said.
Hopefully, Brooklyn will look elsewhere for additional pieces to a trade package, as they try to avoid having to negotiate a contract with Williams or risking having to match any offer sheets that come in next summer if he opted to go down the restricted free agency route. And let’s be honest, the Texas native has become an integral member of the Celtics rotation, and it would be a big blow to lose him.
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