The Boston Celtics are on their way to the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals after dismantling the Milwaukee Bucks with a 109-81 victory in Game 7. After going through a tough challenge, the team will have its hands full once again as they match up against the Miami Heat in the next round.
Jayson Tatum's level of production has been big for the Celtics' playoff bid thus far. Multiple scoring outbursts from the three-time All-Star allowed Boston to overcome the defending champions in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Jaylen Brown has also been doing the work as the team's No.2 option on offense by consistently contributing to the scoring department alongside Tatum.
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Celtics' X-Factor vs Heat in 2022 Eastern Conference Finals
Aside from the aforementioned players, the Celtics' true X-factor for their upcoming series against the Heat will be Grant Williams. The Tennessee product isn't really known for his offensive game ever since he came to the league back in 2019. In fact, he's only averaging 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 77 games played in the regular season. However, it's his hustle and tenacity to do the dirty work that continues to make him a valuable contributor to the Celtics.
In their previous series against the Bucks, Williams displayed his offensive arsenal and showed that he is more than a hustler and bruiser for the Celtics. He came out with 21 points, five rebounds, and two assists in Game 2 which led to a 109-86 win for the Celtics. In Game 7, he came up big once again when it mattered the most after producing a career-best 27 points on 7-of-18 shooting from beyond the arc. He also tallied six rebounds and two blocks in 39 minutes played. The whole team setting a new Game 7 record of 22 total three-pointers made allowed Boston to successfully eliminate Milwaukee in the Semifinals stage.
In totality, the Celtics won't really need Williams to put up huge scoring nights on a regular basis since most of their ball possessions go through Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. However, his contributions on offense still serve as a major lift every time he gets to have a good shooting day, similar to what he did in Game 7 against the Bucks.
This time against the Heat, the Celtics will still need both Tatum and Brown to consistently carry most of the offensive load, especially against a good defensive team with the likes of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. On the other end, Boston will need guys like Williams to outhustle and put on the clamps against the opposing wingmen and forwards of Miami which include PJ Tucker, Victor Oladipo, and Max Strus.
Most importantly, the focus of the Celtics' defense is expected to be on Butler who torched the Philadelphia 76ers with huge offensive outputs in their previous series. His best games came in Game 3 where he scored 33 points followed by a 40-piece in Game 4.
Butler is expected to do the same against the Celtics and Williams' contributions on defense will be much-needed by Ime Udoka's squad. It will definitely be an exciting matchup between two evenly-matched teams and the performance of role players like Grant Williams can make a significant difference in the result of the series. If Boston's X-factor can play at a high level in their upcoming games then it will help increase the chances of his squad to survive in a grueling Eastern Conference Finals series against Miami.
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