Boston Celtics: Grant Williams deserves a spot in the rotation

Grant Williams slowly became a polarizing figure amongst Boston Celtics fans last season. He went from being a fan favorite to someone most believe should be traded.

In the 2020 NBA Playoffs, Williams stepped up by playing amazing defense all throughout the series vs Toronto. Fans fell in love with that side of his game.

He spent the majority of his rookie season struggling to shoot the ball, but fans looked past it. Williams was beloved and thought to be a long-term part of this Celtics team.

Then the 2020-21 season hit and everything changed. Williams was thrust into a completely different role in a team that played a different style of basketball.

The 2019-20 Celtics finished with a defensive rating of 106.5, the fourth-best in the NBA. This past season that number dropped to a 111.8 defensive rating, ranked 13th in the league.

So, while Williams may have struggled more on the defensive side of the ball, so did the entire team. This was the worst defensive season for the C’s since the 2013-14 season.

In addition to that, Williams may not have gotten all that much worse on the defensive end. When taking a look at his stats in relation to his teammates’, he still played solid.

Even looking past that, Williams’ offense drastically improved this season, even while dealing with a different role. He looked much better playing in the flow of the offense.

Whether or not you like Williams, at least take a second to keep an open mind. He played a lot better than most people think, and there is a ton of room for improvement.