Boston Celtics: Grant Williams getting out of the corner office
Have you seen Grant Williams recently? The Boston Celtics reserve was dubbed “Corner Office” by his teammates for his corner three accuracy last season.
But take a good look at him now. A fake and reset isn’t that big of a big deal. But Williams is now taking defenders off the dribble. He sometimes drives all the way to the rim. If not that, he’s shown a pull-up midrange jumper on occasion. Heck, he’s even brought the ball up across half court here and there.
Williams is Mr. Corner Office, but he opened the door to his game.
A more versatile Grant Williams will make the Boston Celtics even harder to defend
Celtics fans should had been very happy if Williams was just the same player he was last season. For the third year in a row G-Will achieved career highs in several key statistical categories. He went from capable 3-point shooter (.371) to marksman (.411), particularly from the corners (.473). It was enough to warrant praise from this site.
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Well for the fourth year in a row, Williams got better. Dramatically better. Overall shooting percentage is up more than 100 percentage points. 3-point shooting up by .065. Defensive and total rebounds. Assists. Steals. And more than two points per game better.
How much would you pay for that? Don’t answer that. Not yet, at least.
The game has changed and the Boston Celtics have adapted well. They added floor-spacing depth and are scoring at a historic pace. By Tuesday, the Celtics were third in three point shooting percentage, only the Golden State Warriors shot more threes per game, and no team in the league connected on more threes per game (16.4). They have five players in the top-50 for 3-point shooting percentage.
Sam Hauser has emerged as a sniper with almost superhuman accuracy (.480). Right on his heels is Grant Williams (.476). They lead the Celtics’ behind the arc barrage that nets Boston almost 50 points per game.
That’s outstanding for Williams to be such a threat from the outside. Williams adding wrinkles to his game makes him even more dangerous.
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Williams isn’t just a spot-up shooter anymore. If his shot is challenged, Williams can simply take a dribble side step for an open look. What’s crazy is Williams can take a defender one-on-one if he wants.
The result could be a mid-range jumper or driving to the rim. As much of a threat Williams is as a shooter, he would have plenty of opportunities to exploit defenders overzealous to take away the three.
And if there is a defender waiting for Williams, the attention could open a passing lane to a wide open teammate either waiting to shoot or cutting to the rim.
Let’s not forget Williams’ value as a defender and his overall basketball IQ. There’s a reason why interm coach Joe Mazzulla sometimes has Williams in the starting lineup.
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The millions of dollars question is this: what is a versatile, sometimes starter, lights out 3-and-D player worth? Williams and the Boston Celtics couldn’t reach an agreement on an extension. So he’s going to be a restricted free agent after the season. Williams can talk money with the rest of the league then.
The top 3-and-D players make around $12-14 million. Taking into consideration what Williams brings to the table plus inflation, he could get between $15-20 million.
If the Boston Celtics win the championship and G-Will remains a significant factor, it’s hard to imagine the Celtics letting Williams leave. He has a cozy corner office in Boston. And it gets better when Williams roams.