Who knows what kind of contract the Boston Celtics offered Grant Williams -- who was eligible for a rookie extension following his third season -- this summer, but whatever it was, it wasn't enough.
"For me, [not getting a deal done] was a disappointment," Williams recently told Shams Charania. "But you know how much you've worked. You let your work show, and who knows? You might be able to get a better deal than you were in the contract negotiations in the first place."
In other words, Williams bet on himself.
It's looking like that ticket could pay off pretty big.
It's obviously early and these numbers are going to regress, but so far Williams is hitting 54 percent of his 3-pointers, per Cleaning the Glass, including 56.3 percent from the corners, fifth best in the league among all qualifying players. His 79.7 effective field-goal percentage, as well as his 162.8 points per 100 shot attempts, both register as the league's top mark -- by an appreciable margin -- among all big men.
Defensively, the Celtics give up over 10 points fewer per 100 possessions when Williams is on the court, per CTG. He's versatile. An energizer. A key cog in a Boston bench unit that is finding solid footing with Malcolm Brogdon at the helm and shooters everywhere. Williams' stats won't blow you away. He's averaging around nine points and four rebounds. He only plays 25 minutes per game. Williams is what you might call a role-player extraordinaire, but a role player nonetheless. How much is that worth?
"A lot," an Eastern Conference scout recently told CBS Sports. "I don't know how much ... I mean, $15 million [per year] maybe? I don't have any idea, really. But he's worth a lot. A guy like that can mean more to a championship team than some All-Stars can be worth somewhere else."
Frankly, $15 million a year might look conservative if Williams keeps up like this. He'll be a restricted free agent. It only takes one team to offer a big number to force Boston to match. My guess is Boston will pay whatever it takes. Al Horford is on an expiring deal. Robert Williams III, making a bargain $11.7 million next season, is the future center. Maybe Horford comes back on a smaller deal, but Williams will be a priority. He is too perfect in this increasingly ball-sharing Boston system that orbits around two high-usage superstars and a straight-line driver in Brogdon.
Having so many players capable of shooting, passing and dribbling, as Boston does, can be a challenge if they all want to display all those skills. The Celtics know their roles. Williams can put the ball on the floor, but he knows his playmaking doesn't butter Boston's offensive bread.
On average, Williams takes fewer than one dribble each time he touches the ball, per NBA.com tracking. When he gets it, he either shoots it or moves it. Same for Sam Hauser. It keeps a Boston offense that is creating five more points per game via assists than it did last year, and taking just under 30 catch-and-shoot 3s per game (second to only San Antonio), in perpetual drive-and-kick flow.
"[Boston's] spacing is so tough to defend," the same scout told CBS. "They can all shoot over there. They get in the paint with Tatum and Brown ... Brogdon is the same way, he's tough to keep out of [the paint] ... and then everyone else is just where they're supposed to be [around the 3-point line]."
Williams is part of the "everyone else," camping in the corners, instinctively floating around the arc as defenses shift. He just knows how to play. On both ends. The shooting numbers almost certainly won't stay where they are, but this is not a fluke.
Willams made 41 percent of his 3s last season, including 47 percent from the corners, per CTG. The year before that, he hit 44 percent of his corner 3s. This is a two-way helper who can close playoff games. This is the same guy who knocked down seven 3-pointers in Boston's Game 7 win over Milwaukee in last year's conference semifinals. This is a guy who was right to bet on himself, and you always like to see a bet like that pay off.
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November 08, 2022 at 02:32AM
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Celtics' Grant Williams was right to bet on himself, and it's looking like that bet could pay off big - CBS Sports
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