Celtics’ Grant Williams Addressed Reduced Minutes In NBA Finals

Grant Williams took a noticeable back seat during the Boston Celtics’ battle in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. And the veteran forward chimed in on that very minute reduction.

The Tennessee product has blossomed into a key contributor to the Celtics rotation in just four NBA seasons. Amid a clean slate for the defending Eastern Conference champions, expectations remain high. As for Williams, he hopes to ensure the awareness of his reliability for the Celtics.

“You look down the bench, it’s like, ‘Who can I trust?'” Williams told UPROXX. “And I wanted to be that guy that stood up. But that wasn’t the case. So, never being that guy that’s like, ‘Alright, who can we go to?’ “

During the finals, Williams averaged 17 minutes per game. That was over 10 minutes less than his average of 27.3 for the entire NBA playoffs (24 games). Yet, Williams delivered some pivotal contributions prior to the finals. In Game 7 of round two against the Milwaukee Bucks, he notched a career-high 27 points. Not to mention, Williams also knocked down a career-best seven 3-pointers in the season-saving win.

Yet, the heroics ended there. Williams ensured that he doesn’t need to be Boston’s go-to guy. Instead, he ensured that the Celtics — when needed — could rely on the 24-year-old.

“I’m always available,” Williams said. “And not to say you have to go with me, but just know if you need someone, I’m there for you.”

Before the start of the 2022-23 season, Williams and the Celtics failed to agree on a contract extension. Next offseason the Celtics could extend Williams a qualifying offer which would make him a restricted free agent. Worst case scenario, Williams should have no issue finding himself a payday according to the latest reports on the “strong interest” from outside teams.

“I think people are looking at him as somewhere in that $15 to $17 million dollar range in an extension,” The Athletic’s Shams Charania said Tuesday.

So far this season, Williams had put together his strongest campaign. He’s averaged 9.3 points on 52.6% shooting from the field with 4.6 rebounds — all career highs — after 31 games.

“That’s something I wanted to pride myself this season on being,” Williams said. “Being that guy that, no matter what, no matter who’s out, whatever you need of me, Grant Williams is there and present and ready to go.”

On Wednesday, the Celtics notched their third straight loss and Williams notched a season-low in minutes played (16). He scored seven points and went 3-for-8 from the field with six rebounds and a steal.