Boston Celtics second-round pick Amari Williams quickly became a fan favorite after landing in Boston on draft night. The 23-year-old center could very well be the best passing big man in this year’s class, and has promise as a defender and rebounder. He officially signed a two-way contract with the team last month, meaning he can play games in both Boston and Maine for the G-League Celtics.
Though Williams is a player who could fit into the Celtics’ rotation somewhere down the line, it feels unlikely that it’ll be the case in the upcoming season. Sure, after losing Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet in the summer, Boston has far less talent at center than they did last year. Even with the turnover, there are plenty of players ahead of the rookie in the team’s depth chart.
Neemias Queta is projected to start, while new additions like Chris Boucher and Luka Garza should take up the majority of the minutes off the bench. All three players have NBA experience and make for safer options than Williams does. Plus, Quetta and Garza aren’t necessarily finished products in their own right, so Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics will be interested to see what they can do with the opportunity.
Quetta saw an increase in playing time last season, but still never found a consistent role in Boston, while Garza struggled to get on the floor for a good Minnesota Timberwolves team.
Then, there’s Xavier Tillman Sr., who had a down year in 2024-25, but had nice moments towards the end of the 2023-24 season and into the playoffs.
Amari Williams will benefit from G League reps in Maine
Again, this isn’t some sort of elite center rotation, but Williams could use some extra time to develop before being thrown into the deep end.
Yes, his passing and ball handling are better than most centers his age. There’s no denying it. Plus, Williams showed that he possesses the tools to be disruptive as a defender. Unfortunately, the rest of his game isn’t NBA-ready.
For starters, the Englishman historically struggles around the basket. He shot just 56% from the field at Kentucky last year, albeit he was given a lot of offensive responsibility. His touch didn’t improve at the Las Vegas Summer League, where he sank just 44% of his attempts for the Cs. To be fair, there was an outlier 3-of-10 performance mixed in there, but it’s still an area where Williams needs to improve.
There’s room for him to grow as a rebounder as well. The 46th overall pick grabbed an average of just five rebounds per game in his four appearances in Vegas back in July. He still needs to put together an entire skillset on the boards, meaning getting good position, boxing out, and then securing possession. Many times at Summer League, he’d do just two of the three.
This all isn’t to say that Williams won’t help Boston eventually. If I had to guess, he’ll be a part of some good teams in the near future. It’s just not necessary to rush him into NBA competition when he’s not ready, even if the Celtics could use some added depth at Center. Williams will benefit from time in Maine, where he should put together some exciting outings this winter.