Once Alone as 'Mr. Intangibles,' Smart Has Williams Following Lead

https://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/post-111019-once-alone-as-mr-intangibles-smart-has-williams-following-lead?sf223703984=1










Once Alone as 'Mr. Intangibles,' Smart Has Williams Following Lead




By Marc D'Amico | @Marc_DAmico
Celtics.com
November 14, 2019



BOSTON – For the longest time, the Boston Celtics relied upon one player – Marcus Smart – to be the sole actor in their 'Mr. Intangibles' act, always being in the right place at the right time, always sacrificing his body, and always displaying elite hustle and grit, all for the betterment of the team.

Now, it appears, they have added a second member to the performance.

Grant Williams is only 10 games into his NBA career but has already showcased many of the intangibles around which Smart has built a strong reputation during his six-year career. Both players are statistical anomalies who rarely log significant numbers in the box score, but almost always make a significant impact.

The similarities between the two players are so profound that Celtics head coach Brad Stevens went as far as to, without prior suggestion, compare the two players this past week.

“He has a feel for the game, especially defensively,” Stevens said of Williams Nov. 7 in Charlotte. “He’s not as athletic as Marcus (Smart), but the understanding of when to help – maybe a little bit of overhelp right now, but he’s got a real good sense of the game.”

The comparison to Smart is not something Williams takes lightly.

“To be compared to Marcus is always incredible to me,” Williams told Celtics.com, “because he’s a six-year vet, and he’s a guy that’s been playing for the Celtics for all these six years, been on the same team, embraced by the community. He’s someone you aspire to be.”

Williams is certainly following in Smart’s footsteps, and Stevens isn’t the only person who has noticed. Smart has also gone on the record to Celtics.com in stating that he sees quite a bit of himself in his rookie teammate.

“A lot (of similarities),” he said. “It’s incredible.”

What’s incredible is that these two players are separated by five years, by three inches, by 20 pounds, and by at least a couple of slots on the position chart, yet when all is said and done, they’re known for bringing the exact same intangibles to the game. Not surprisingly, they feed off of each other for that very reason.

“He helps me a lot as well, especially when he’s on the court with me,” Smart said of Williams, “because I’m not the only one out there diving. I know for sure that Grant, when he’s on the court, he’s going to take charges with me. I know that he’s going to go and protect that rim.

“We’re undersized,” he continued, “but we play like we’re 6-9 and above.”

In other words, both players have the heart of a lion, a similarity of which Williams is very proud to share.

“When it comes to the effort and the passion that we play with, I feel like that’s something similar between the two of us,” Williams said, “that we’re willing to sacrifice for our team, we’re willing to put our bodies on the line, and it’s something that you take pride in.”

Many others are taking notice of these shared characteristics between Smart and Williams. One of those people is three-time All-Star and All-NBA point guard Kemba Walker.

Walker spent five seasons playing against Smart, so he knows all too well what the 6-foor-3 guard is all about. Williams, on the other hand, is a newbie in the league, and Walker has only had a short time to learn what the rookie is made of. Still, Walker lights up when discussing Williams and what the forward has proven since training camp opened more than six weeks ago.

“I love that kid,” Walker said Oct. 25 in Boston, after Williams, at 6-foot-6, defended 7-foot-1 Marc Gasol at a high level. “He has great energy. He’s super tough. He wants that. He wants those battles.”

Truth be told, that’s exactly why the Celtics drafted Williams with the 22nd overall pick in June’s NBA Draft. They wanted that.

Danny Ainge didn’t snag Williams thinking that the forward would come in and help by stuffing box scores with gaudy numbers. He drafted Williams thinking that the forward would come in and help by stuffing notches into Boston’s win column.

The same can be said with regard to Ainge’s selection of Smart with the sixth overall pick in the 2014 Draft. Smart, like Williams, averaged 18 or more points per game during his final collegiate season, but the C’s selected Smart because of his elite competitive nature.

As Ainge said of Smart after the draft in 2014, “He plays with great fire. He’s one of the top competitors that I’ve seen all around the world watching basketball.”

Williams is cut from the exact same cloth. He, like Smart, has a unique competitive nature burning inside of him. Williams cares about one thing and one thing only when it comes to basketball: winning.

“That’s always been my main focus: how our team is doing and what we accomplish,” he said before his first game as a pro. He added, “For me, it’s always been about however you can impact winning and however you can impact a game and do what coach needs you to do.”

And when he says impacting winning has “always” been his main focus, he means that quite literally.

Williams recalled his early days playing basketball, when he began to mold himself into the player he is today. Even then, as a youngster in North Carolina, he was more intrigued by the little things on the court than he was by the sexy things on the court.

“A lot of people growing up, their parents and everyone wants you to score the basketball and stuff, and that’s the biggest priority for everyone,” he stated. “But for me, I always viewed the game differently. I thought if everyone looks to score, there’s not many people looking to defend, not many people looking to take charges, to block shots, to rebound the basketball.”

Nearly a decade later, as a 20-year-old man, Williams has found his calling doing those exact things as a member of the Boston Celtics. He is relishing the opportunity to do the dirty work for his team to help it succeed.

Likewise, his teammates, and in particular, Smart, are relishing the opportunity to be by his side throughout it all.

“It feels good when you have a guy like that,” Smart said of Williams, “a guy that’s just ready to listen and learn and he just helps the team in all aspects.”

Celtics players have felt that way about Smart for the last five-plus years. It’s about time he found a teammate for whom he can feel the exact same way.



bob




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Marcus Smart has more than transcended intangibles.  

Sorry but after 10 games I am not buying the Willlams/Smart comparison.

What I see is actually what I expected.  Grant is a smart young man that understands the game.  He was an above average college player but many of the things that he was able to do in 4 years at TN may not be transferable to NBA level size and athleticism.  

I think the worse thing for this kid is to play him out of position which is exactly what Brad Stevens is doing.  He is not a center by any stretch of the imagination and he is not even a small ball center by any stretch of the imagination.

I see him work his ass off and come up with rebounds.  No doubt he plays hard but I also see where his lack of size and athletic ability in terms of speed and quickness and just plain ole hops is not evident.  Brad is not doing this kid any favors by playing him out of position.

Stop it  now Brad.  He is not a small ball 5 especially given his inability to actually shoot the ball from the perimeter.  (0-14) on the year.  

Maybe I am being overly critical but come on.  We got 4 other real centers begging for minutes.

This is a bunch of bullshit.  15.3 MPG for a rookie with obvious physical limitation is way too much.  Grant is averaging 2.7 PPG and 2.7 rebounds.

Whatttt?

He is shooting 25.8% from the field and has YET to make one MFuk...3 point shot.  So here we are with lame ass articles talking about intangible and comparing this kid to Marcus Smart.

Stop it.  Grant Williams looks like any player in any era, on any team that will not make it in the NBA.  If I am wrong about this I will eat crow.

Here's an idea, for the next time you are in the area.

I hear it tastes like chicken. (LOL)

Yes he is way out of position and not a Charles Barkley center.
Yes he is not close to being Marcus Smart.
It is way too early to make pronouncements on his career, one way or another.

worcester wrote:Yes he is way out of position and not a Charles Barkley center.
Yes he is not close to being Marcus Smart.
It is way too early to make pronouncements on his career, one way or another.

You are correct.  Early pronouncements are always both unfair and suspect.

Time will tell but don't be surprised if he turns into a dud.

But not a Chris Dudley.

Hope he turns out better than Ryan Gomes

Thank you, dboss! If Poirier were six inches shorter, he'd probably get more minutes. hawk

If a guy comes into the league and his predraft analysis is spot on as it was with Grant Williams you should already know that he is not a confident shooter from the NBA 3 point line.  At the same time his high basketball IQ is a factor not to be overlooked.

Weaknesses:  Williams is an undersized forward at 6’7 which is small for a player who lacks in athleticism and makes most of his impact in the post … Not an explosive athlete, plays below the rim … Foul prone, fouled out of 4 games including two matchups against top talent in the country in Gonzaga and Kansas … Williams struggles to stay in front of quicker guards due to his lack of athleticism and height … While capable of hitting from beyond the arc, Williams digressed from his freshman year to junior year. Very capable from mid-range and the free throw line, but needs to continually improve from three if he plans to find a role as a small-ball four in the NBA … Hesitant to utilize jumper, typically makes impact in the post or opts to pass on open shot to get the ball into the block … Williams may struggle to create off the dribble considering we saw most of his offensive skill set in the post or catch-and-shoot opportunities on the perimeter.


Strengths: Solid finisher around the basket … Quality low-post scorer … Capable shooter … Great competitor with feel for the game … Above-average facilitator/playmaker, especially from the post where he has great vision and makes the correct pass out of double-teams … Versatile defender where he can guard the post, but is also capable to switch onto a wing … 6’11 wingspan which allows him to out-rebound taller/more athletic players down low … Great mid-range and free throw shooter, has improved each year from the line. Also, capable of knocking down shots from beyond the arc (32.6%) … Capable shot blocker, averaged 1.3+ BPG during his three years at Tennessee … Very strong which allows him to finish through contact and carve out space in the paint … Where Williams lacks in athleticism and height, he makes up for it with strength, play-making ability, and motor … High motor, constantly hustles and demonstrates leadership on the court … High basketball IQ which leads to his above-average playmaking ability … Played with talented players during his tenure at Tennessee (Player: Admiral Schofield), (Player: Jordan Bone), and is capable in terms of sharing the basketball and the spotlight … Was the centerpiece during his time at Tennessee while winning back-to-back SEC Player of the Year Awards and was always a leader and set the example … Key to his game is versatility where he continues to show improvement in each area


Both his strengths and weaknesses look pretty accurate from what I have seen.  The way I see it, skills can improved but speed, quickness, length, size and athleticism are baked into the cake.

The problem that I see has more to do with utilization than with Grant Williams as a basketball player.

Here is some food for thought.

This team plays significantly better when Grant Williams is paired with either Theis or RW in a more traditional big lineup.

Grant is playing around 60% of the time in a small ball lineups.  The team is significantly better when Grant plays with a big than when he plays as the small ball center.  

He has played in around 35 different lineups.  

Based on the numbers that I have reviewed Brad should never play him in a small ball lineup.  NEVER!

But here is an interesting caveat.  Jaylen Brown has not played in any of the big lineups along with Grant Williams.  Strange to say the least.  

Brad has already used 87 different lineups.  He remains in the information gathering stage.  I can save him some time though.  Forget about Grant as a small ball 5.  He plays much better at the 4.   

If anyone is interested in digging into the statistics on lineups you can find them here.

https://stats.nba.com/lineups/advanced/?sort=TEAM_ABBREVIATION&dir=-1

Know this.  Lineups are the ingredients that impact the stew.  

With Hayward out for an extended number of games the chemistry associated with different lineups will change.