B/R names highly utilized role player as biggest X-factor for Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics find themselves coming into Wednesday night’s Game Two with a 1-0 lead in this best-of-seven first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets and, in order for them to snag win No. 2, they’ll need all hands on deck in their final home outing before taking to the road and heading to New York for a string of contests.

Game One was, for the most part, a team effort that saw several talents putting forth stout performances that played major roles in the C’s 115-114 victory.

Now, if they wish to nab three more wins in this quarterfinals bout and advance to the next round, the team will require a similar level of production from their cast of ballers overall and will need one player who produced poorly in their postseason opener to step up as the series progresses.

Grant Williams, one of Boston’s most consistent contributors from the 2021-22 campaign, simply fell flat during their Easter Sunday matinee, logging just seven points, two rebounds, and one assist on a putrid 0-for-4 shooting performance from deep.

This, of course, is highly uncharacteristic for the 23-year-old, as he’s established himself as one of Ime Udoka’s most trusted commodities within the rotation.

His impressive efficiency and productivity throughout the regular season have made him into a true fan favorite amongst the faithful followers of the Boston Celtics, and, according to the folks at Bleacher Report, warrant him the moniker of being the team’s biggest X-factor during this year’s playoff run.

Citing the fact that the third-year pro is slated to receive the biggest boost in playing time with stud big man Robert Williams III out with a torn left meniscus, writer Dan Favale believes that the quasi-big man will wind up having a major impact on the team’s ultimate postseason outcome:

"…Grant Williams does loom as the most important X-factor, if only because he figures to pick up the largest chunk of the playing-time slack. His minutes ticked up significantly following RWII’s injury.Not much should change. Williams isn’t the same level of rim-runner as Timelord, but he stretches the floor with a reliable three-point stroke. And while Boston will miss RWIII’s help rim protection and perimeter mobility on defense, Grant Williams does have plenty of switch to him, as well.How well the latter plays will say a great deal about the Celtics’ postseason rotation. He is not only their ticket to sustaining two-big sets but could also need to take on waaay more time at center if Udoka doesn’t want to overburden Theis with backup 5 burn."

Through 77 games played on the year, the forward went on to put up career-highs all across the board, averaging 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, one assist, and just shy of a steal and a block on 41 percent shooting from deep and 47.5 percent shooting from the floor, the first and second-best marks on the Boston Celtics.

In Game One, the shamrocks managed to slip by the Brooklyn Nets with an incredible last-second, buzzer-beating layup that, in the end, gave them the one-point advantage. In this contest, Batman played incredibly poor.

Moving forward, we at HH, along with Favale, believe that, should a high-usage player like Grant Williams continue to play this low, wins will prove to be harder and harder to come by.