3 biggest X-factors that will determine playoff fate for the Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics player No. 2) Grant Williams

As the season has progressed, Grant Williams has gone on to strengthen the notion that he’s not just one of the team’s most pivotal role players for the now but, in fact, for the long-haul as well.

Despite famously missing the first 25 3-point attempts of his pro career, the big man has managed to establish himself as one of the premier long-range marksmen in the entire association, let alone on the Boston Celtics.

Currently in his third year in the league, the 24-year-old is putting up career-best numbers all across the board, boasting averages of 7.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and half a block per game on 48 percent shooting from the floor and 42 percent shooting from deep (the fourth-best mark in the NBA).

Because of his combination of strength, mobility, defensive instincts, and shooting stroke the quasi big has graced rookie head coach, Ime Udoka, with the ability to successfully experiment with an endless assortment of lineups throughout the year, be it with him playing the three, the four, and, sometimes, even the five.

An all-out hustle guy who brings a kind of energy and defensive tenacity reminiscent of veteran forward, P.J. Tucker (an X-factor himself for last year’s Milwaukee Bucks), what Grant Williams brings to the table has proven to be truly invaluable for the C’s this season and, come the playoffs, they’re going to need his all-around skill set to continue their truly lethal style of play.