Boston Celtics: Former first-round pick could benefit from Danilo Gallinari ACL injury in contract talks

Danilo Gallinari’s ACL tear set to keep him out of EuroBasket and an unannounced portion of the 2022-23 season is by and large bad for the Boston Celtics, but one former first-round pick from the 2019 NBA Draft could actually stand to benefit from it — both on the court and in contract renegotiation talks.

That’d be Grant Williams, who enters his fourth season for the Cs. Williams’ first two were played for current Celtics President of Basketball Operations while this season and last will be under Eastern Conference championship coach Ime Udoka.

The former Tennessee Volunteer has steadily improved during his professional career, ascending from a 25% 3-point shooter that missed his first 25 attempts beyond the arc in 2019-20 to a 41% long-range sniper this past season. Without his 21-point, five-rebound, two-assist Game 2, and 27-point, six-rebound Game 7 against Milwaukee, Boston might have never gotten past the Khris Middleton-less Bucks during the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs this past spring.

Spotrac and CelticsBlog’s Keith Smith explained how Gallinari’s torn ACL during a FIBA game could ultimately stand to benefit someone in the Boston Celtics organization:

Boston Celtics PF Grant Williams appeared in Steph Curry’s Davidson tribute

Grant Williams has a vibrant sense of humor for being willing to appear in a tribute to Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry and poke fun at himself for provoking the 2x regular season MVP and newly-christened Finals MVP.

Here was the transcript courtesy of NBC Sports Bay Area:

"“What’s up, brother. First off I wanted to say congratulations. It’s a huge accomplishment, it’s a blessing. I wore 30 in high school because of you, and now I didn’t win a ring because of you.”"

While their games are different, it’s evident in Williams’ corner 3-point stroke that his game is influenced by the NBA’s all-time single-season 3-point record-holder and one of the game’s all-time greats in that category.