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Benched Boston Celtics big ‘will be a cornerstone of the bench unit’ eventually

By Andrew Hughes

CelticsBlog's Robbie Hodin believes a benched Boston Celtics bench "will be a cornerstone of the bench unit" in the second round of the postseason Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
CelticsBlog's Robbie Hodin believes a benched Boston Celtics bench "will be a cornerstone of the bench unit" in the second round of the postseason Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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Benched Boston Celtics big man Grant Williams, who received a DNP-CD from Joe Mazzulla in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Hawks in a 112-99 victory, “will be a cornerstone of the bench unit” if/when the Cs take on the 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals according to CelticsBlog’s Robbie Hodin.

“I can guarantee you one thing: when we play the Sixers in the next round, Grant Williams will be a cornerstone of the bench unit,” Hodin wrote. “In a dominant win over the Sixers earlier this season, Grant showed flashes of defensive stability against the likely league MVP. He’s able to take the first bump (usually elbow) from Embiid while still having enough core strength to be ready for the next fake. He’s quite frankly a really interesting defensive wrinkle that the Celtics will almost definitely throw at Philly.”

Hodin also believes Williams could/will be an asset against the Celtics’ potential Eastern Conference finals opponent, the Bucks.

“Then, in a potential conference finals matchup against the Bucks, Grant would/should play a sizable role as well,” Hodin wrote. “The same reason Grant is effective against Embiid is why he’s maybe the best Giannis–stopper the Celtics have. The strength. The size. But, mainly, both of those tools combined with his ability to slide his feet and wall up is what makes Grant special against stars like Embiid and Giannis.”

Boston Celtics are once again the favorites to win NBA Finals

During Game 1 of Milwaukee’s series against Miami, Giannis Antetokounmpo had a scary fall and left with a back injury. The Bucks lost 130-117, and afterward, as MassLive’s Brian Robb reports, the odds for the Boston Celtics to win the NBA championship surpassed Milwaukee’s.

“These developments are already reflected in the latest NBA title odds on Fanduel after Game 1s this weekend as the Celtics (+270) have quickly become favorites ahead of the Bucks (+320) after the opening game for both teams,” Robb wrote.

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