“He is in the category of Marcus Smart: when he is on the pitch, we are able to be very dynamic defensively thanks to his versatility, his communication, his robustness and his ability to face different situations”. It is a beautiful tribute that Joe Mazzulla paid to Grant Williams, in the preamble to Game 4 between Philly and Boston which will take place this evening (9:30 p.m.).
In a different role compared to the last playoffs, since he is less in demand as a shooter, Grant Williams makes sure to always be valuable to the Celtics collective, especially through his investment in defense. In Game 3, he did pretty well overall, especially when he found himself defending against Joel Embiid, even if this duel cost him a good scare.
Stitches as a keepsake
Unbalanced by Jaylen Brown at the entrance of money-time, Joel Embiid has indeed lost his balance, walking with his right foot on the head of Grant Williams, projecting it against the floor. For a few seconds, Boston’s number 12 saw his life go by!
“If you look at my reaction, I kind of went through all the states. I held my head and my nose to see if it was OK, and I didn’t feel a fracture, so I thought it was okay. I then see that I am bleeding a little from the mouth. I couldn’t see much, and it was when I got up that it started to flow. I told myself that I was going to have to return to the bench. I’m glad I was able to come back afterwards.”, he said yesterday.
Keep your head up… and your wrist ready
Grant Williams indeed returned to the field and did his part of the job at the end in the 114-102 victory on the floor of the Sixers, all punctuated by a few stitches at the level of the lower lip. This misadventure, which has become the symbol of his activity in defense, was in any case welcomed by Jayson Tatum.
“I think it speaks to his character, his professionalism and the fact that he always remains ready. You know, on rest days, Grant is there playing five-on-five with those who play less. He does not necessarily know when he will play, but he remains ready. He is always told to keep his head up. ‘Keep your head up, we’re going to need you. At some point, you’re going to play a role. Tonight he showed it.” said the winger.
Without a point scored for the second time in the series and the third time in the playoffs, Grant Williams remains capable of bringing offensively, as he had demonstrated in the first round, in Game 3 against Atlanta, with his 14 points to 4/4 to 3-pointers in 18 minutes, or in Game 2 against Philly (12 points to 4/8 to 3-pointers).
| Grant Williams | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2019-20 | BOS | 69 | 15 | 41.2 | 25.0 | 72.2 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 3.4 |
| 2020-21 | BOS | 63 | 18 | 43.7 | 37.2 | 58.8 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 4.7 |
| 2021-22 | BOS | 77 | 24 | 47.5 | 41.1 | 90.5 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 7.8 |
| 2022-23 | BOS | 79 | 26 | 45.4 | 39.5 | 77.0 | 1.1 | 3.5 | 4.6 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 8.1 |
| Total | 288 | 21 | 45.1 | 37.9 | 77.3 | 0.9 | 2.6 | 3.5 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 6.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
