Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams hasn’t had the greatest season for a player looking to cash in during free agency.
Sure, the 24-year-old logged career highs in minutes (25.9), points (8.1), rebounds (4.6) and assists (1.7). But he also happened to see his 3-point percentage (.395) and field-goal percentage (.454) slip in his fourth season, in addition to putting together one of the ugliest viral moments of the NBA campaign.
In case you can’t remember, Williams was given the chance to win a game for the Celtics in their March 6 matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He went to the free-throw line with 0.8 seconds left in that game, needing to hit just one from the charity stripe to break the tie.
As he stepped to the line, hearing it from Cavs fans and superstar Donovan Mitchell, Williams promised to hit both free throws. He didn’t. In fact, he missed both, which led to a loss and prompted a hilarious tweet Tuesday.
“IMMA MAKE EM BOTH,” Williams tweeted in response to a tweet asking for the biggest “I’m not him” moment in basketball.
He’s not wrong.
It’s been a tough season overall for the Tennessee product, who also has seen an increase in technical fouls on top of the decrease in shooting percentages and his blunder in Cleveland. That all came after he rejected a solid contract offer in the offseason and found himself out of the Celtics’ rotation for a short period of time.
It hasn’t all been bad, however. Williams did take on an increased role with the NBPA while doing the same in Boston — prompting some recognition from his Celtics teammates.
As the Celtics enter the postseason, their top rotational forward will be afforded the opportunity to bounce back in a big way. After all, he’s done it before.
