Grant Williams is joining a Boston Celtics team that has a lot of upside to go with the questions surrounding their ability to reach the Finals. The wing will be joining a team with a good mix of veterans and young talent. The 22nd pick of the 2019 Draft has already spent time with the team's starting forward in Gordon Hayward. NBC Sports Boston asked him about his experience training with the Celtics swingman.
.@Grant2Will hates playing AGAINST Hayward (😭) but loves playing with him. He shares what he’s learned from training with @gordonhayward pic.twitter.com/tnMbEMPTuA
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) September 6, 2019
Michael McMahon recounted the rookie's opinion of Hayward:
“I hate Gordon, but I love him too. Because I’ll be playing with him but when you play against him, I hate him,” Williams told reporters Friday, via NBC Sports Boston. “When you’re in college you don’t realize how talented guys are. How tough shots are made. Guarding Gordon everyday and seeing how he puts into his craft, it makes me very fortunate. I not only get to learn from him, but I get to say ‘Man, how did he make that?
“He’s beaten me a couple times, and he beat me the one time we played 1-on-1,” he added. “So my whole goal is, by the time I get done in the next month, to say I can guard Gordon and beat him in 1-on-1. That’s the whole mentality right now.”
Hayward hasn't had the best season in 2018-19. He only scored 11.5 points a game as he played on limited minutes to ease his way back. However, team sources have confirmed that the forward is getting more confident with his health and should aim to produce numbers similar to 2016-17, his only All-Star year.
If Williams learns a thing or two from Hayward, he should have a long and successful career in the NBA.
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