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Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams has blossomed before the eyes of head coach Ime Udoka in his third season in the NBA.
From his career-high in points per game (7.8) to his stout 41.1 percent 3-point field goal percentage, Williams has emerged as a vital role player with the Celtics. He is also not one to shy away from being an outspoken player on the team, and at one point during the regular season, he wanted to play a bit more of a role on offense.
Speaking to 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak and Bertrand” show on Thursday, Udoka revealed that Williams had issued a request to have “plays ran” for him as the team does with All-Star forward Jayson Tatum. Udoka once gave Williams a shot on this matter, and it did not go so well for the third-year Celtics forward.
“I called one play for him this year against Oklahoma City when (Shai) Gilgeous-Alexander was on him,” Udoka said. “And he got a post-up, and Gil just blocked him at the rim, and that was pretty much his one attempt.”
Overall, Udoka has been much pleased to see Williams continually evolve as a leader on the team and also become one who has no problem in sharing his say both on and off the court.
“For good or bad, yes, he has a voice,” Udoka said. “He’s very talkative, very opinionated, but on the floor is what we need. We need communication, very vocal, and we encourage that. And like I said, off the court, he doesn’t stop, either. So, we take it with a grain of salt, and we’ll take it if he’s that vocal on the court.”
Williams has so far been quite an X-factor for the Celtics in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Milwaukee Bucks. From his 21-point outing in Game 2 to even having some responsibilities in defending against Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, he sure has grown into being a valuable two-way player on the team as of late.
For now, the Celtics will look to open up a 2-1 series advantage against the reigning NBA champions in Game 3 on Saturday.
