You have to think Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has been smiling uncontrollably inside recently as he watches his second-round pick from 2023, Jordan Walsh, emerge as a breakout player and one of the talking points of the NBA.
Walsh’s contributions certainly make Stevens look like he knows what he’s doing as a talent evaluator (as if we needed evidence of that), and so does the recent play of Amari Williams, another second-round pick from Brad.
Williams was snagged by Stevens in the most recent 2025 NBA draft out of Kentucky (he’s originally from England and played college ball at Drexel, too).
The 6-foot-11, 250-pound center has only appeared in six games for the Celtics so far in his rookie season, but he’s made an impact whenever his name’s called, most notably in a pressurized environment against the Detroit Pistons.
Like Walsh and Neemias Queta before him, Williams is honing his craft mostly in the G League right now, and he’s dominating while stationed there. On Sunday, Williams recorded a triple-double (the first of his pro career) with 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists for the Maine Celtics.
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If Williams can keep progressing like this, the Celtics are much better off at the center position than most people give them credit for.
Queta has emerged as a legit rotational piece, and Williams could be ready to log regular NBA minutes within the next calendar year, or sooner.
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Of late, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has been playing Josh Minott at center when Queta sits, and/or giving minutes to veteran center Xavier Tillman that were earlier in the season being given to Luka Garza.
Everyone was concerned about Boston’s frontcourt issues heading into 2025-26 after losing Al Horford, Luke Kornet and Kristaps Porzingis.
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The Celtics’ culture and player development is off the charts, however, showing that Boston can withstand depth chart hits and keep on winning with the next guy up. It was a staple of Stevens’ tenure as head coach, and it’s continued that way in Boston with Stevens in the front office.
Featured image via Matt Blewett/Imagn Images
