Celtics
Williams’s minutes shrunk late within the season as he notably did not play in a handful of playoff video games.
Grant Williams’s last season with the Celtics was a little bit of a headscratcher contemplating how effectively issues went for him the season prior.
The previous Celtics ahead noticed his taking part in time fluctuate throughout the finish of the common season, taking part in in fewer minutes at factors, and was even held out of the lineup in a pair of video games. That continued into the postseason, during which he didn’t play in 5 of the Celtics’ first 14 playoff video games and performed fewer than 5 minutes in three different video games.
Williams’s lack of taking part in time caught many without warning as his protection and 3-point taking pictures helped the Celtics make the NBA Finals a 12 months earlier. In an interview with The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, Williams admitted that his fluctuating taking part in time within the dwelling stretch of the season led him to query a possible return to the Celtics even earlier than they traded for Kristaps Porzingis.
“I form of had perspective,” Williams informed Himmelsbach. “Even after the season and earlier than the Kristaps commerce, I had some understanding of what I used to be making an attempt to perform in free company, and the place I noticed myself transferring ahead.”
Williams’s free company want got here to fruition earlier in July. The Mavericks gave him a four-year, $54 million deal that he was reportedly looking for from the Celtics previous to the season, resulting in a sign-and-trade to ship Williams to Dallas.
Despite the fact that Williams spoke fondly of his time with the Celtics in his interview with Himmelsbach and in different latest interviews, he admitted that the tip of this previous season was troublesome for him, inflicting him to behave a sure means.
“I had a two-week span of being unprofessional, which I look again on and I’m dissatisfied in myself with,” Williams mentioned. “I had to have the ability to understand that being skilled isn’t nearly while you’re having success. It’s additionally about your darkest days.”
Williams fashioned a friendship with Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla throughout the 2022 offseason, in keeping with Himmelsbach. The 2 reportedly hung out collectively in Europe final summer time.
Although there was hypothesis of some kind of falling out between Williams and Mazzulla, the previous Celtics ahead informed Himmelsbach they’re on good phrases, even when he didn’t see the court docket as a lot as he would’ve appreciated final season.
“The factor is, professionally you’ll be able to all the time have completely different opinions, completely different outlooks about your self and the group,” Williams mentioned. “However personally, that bond by no means modifications. I’m going to be there for him and his household and his sons any day that they want me. Personally, I all the time will love him as a buddy. Though it could not have gone how we each anticipated this season, we nonetheless have a ton of respect for each other. So I’ll all the time communicate extremely of him as a result of he deserves it. He’s a superb man and a superb coach.”
Williams was one among two notable gamers to depart the Celtics this offseason. The opposite, in fact, was Marcus Good, who was moved within the commerce to accumulate Porzingis.
Whereas the Celtics haven’t introduced in a veteran guard but to probably change Good’s spot on the roster, Boston has added a few forwards. Oshae Brissett agreed to a veteran minimal cope with the Celtics simply hours after free company opened. Jordan Walsh, who the Celtics chosen with the No. 38 total decide, might additionally compete for no matter minutes Williams was in line for this season.
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