Boston Celtics rookie Grant Williams shows defensive growth, offensive decision-making (video)

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2020/01/boston-celtics-rookie-grant-williams-shows-defensive-growth-offensive-decision-making-video.html



Boston Celtics rookie Grant Williams shows defensive growth, offensive decision-making (video)



Updated 2:35 AM;Today 2:33 AM



BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - Grant Williams #12 of the Boston Celtics (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)Getty Images


By John Karalis | JKaralis@masslive.com



BOSTON - It’s not easy to do what Grant Wiliams is doing right now.

He’s averaging 3.4 points, on 38.7 percent shooting (including 18.8 percent on 3-pointers), 2.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.

Yet he’s managed to rack up a 12.2 net rating (that essentially is how many more points the Celtics are scoring with him on the floor per 100 possessions). It’s among the best in the league, and exactly how high he is on the list depends on your cut-off for how many games played. The reason why the net rating is so high is that his defensive rating is very low. His 97.7 is among the best in the league.

These are obviously a cherry-picked statistics with flaws, but these ratings are a pretty good starting point for this because it at least shows us that Grant Williams does a lot of good things on the floor. He did some of those, again, against the Chicago Bulls.

“I just tried to do my best of making the right play every time,” Williams said. “Coming out aggressive, taking open shots, and because we didn’t have Theis I had to step in at the five and do his job.”

Williams did the job pretty well against Chicago, and he had a couple of individual plays that highlighted his progression.

Earlier in the year, Williams had trouble guarding switches onto smaller players. Against Chicago, he had two noticeable opportunities against Kris Dunn and Coby White.

Here’s the Dunn play.


Grant Williams on defense

He actually started out in no-man’s land but he did a great job of rotating when he saw Smart going to pick up white. Once everyone realized Dunn had the perceived mismatch, he got the ball back and went to work.

Williams kept his hips square the entire time, quickly shifting his feet and sliding along with Dunn whenever he changed direction. Bigs have a tendency to turn their hips and run with smaller guys to try to keep up, but Williams staying square allowed him to hang tight and challenge the shot.

“His isolation defense has been good,” Brad Stevens said after the game. “He and (assistant coach) Brandon Bailey spend 10 to 15 minutes every single day on his footwork and on his stance and guarding different guys with different tendencies and strengths. Some of our younger staff members have to run into that chest a couple of times a day, that’s no fun. He’s a big strong guy.”

White found that out a few possessions later.

Grant Williams on defense

Williams gets cross-matched onto White in transition. The Celtics missed, White was running, and at that point the closest guy to him had to pick him up and stop the ball.

Shortly after crossing halfcourt, Williams realizes that was going to be him, so he spun around and squared up again. And again, he kept his position while keeping an arm up to discourage a shot attempt. When White changed direction, Williams stayed right there with him, ultimately forcing White to give up the ball.

“He's guarding, just like me, 1 through 5,” Marcus Smart said after the game. “That's the beauty of having a guy like me and Grant on the floor, where you can switch everything and really keep your shell intact. Not only that, but he communicates. He's one of the loudest guys out there, if not the loudest and that helps our team out a lot.”

Keeping a shell intact basically means defensive positioning aimed at preventing dribble penetration. Williams has progressed a lot in that regard, but he still has a long way to go.

“I thought he actually had a couple of better nights in the last couple of weeks than tonight,” Stevens said. “I thought he had a couple of moments tonight where he was good but I thought he had a couple of better nights in individual defense.”

One weakness Williams has is over-helping or helping in situations where he shouldn’t. This possession was actually sandwiched in between the two good defensive plays:


Grant Williams on defense

Coming over from the opposite block like he did only opened up a pass to an un-guarded player in the paint. His heart was in the right place because Kemba Walker was being backed down, but he created another problem by trying to solve that first one.

It’s all part of the learning curve. One reason why is defensive rating is so good is that Stevens tends not to put Williams in position to fail. When things aren’t working with him on the floor, Stevens will often go to someone else.

Remember when I said the number is flawed? This is why.

The same applies to Enes Kanter, who has a better personal defensive rating than the Lopez twins. They are both partly responsible for an elite defense in Milwaukee, but they play through some bad stretches whereas Kanter will often get pulled when things aren’t working. By not playing when the situation might be damaging, their ratings tend to be a little better.

Of course, net rating involves offense and defense, and part of what makes Williams effective on offense is his ability to make reads and then connect on passes.

The Celtics love to use what’s called a “horns set” (you can tell when they start with guys on either side of the foul line. Here’s a full video explanation). They need guys who can make reads because there are dozens of variations off this one alignment.

Here, you can see how Williams reads the defense, slips the screen into a wide open area in the lane and then immediately recognizes the defender step up to find a cutting Jaylen Brown for the dunk.


Grant Williams passing

“That’s probably the place where he is most comfortable,” Stevens said. “Because that’s where he’s played his whole life, at the 4/5. He got out of the blitzes great, caught it at the free throw line, made the right plays, made the right reads. A couple of times, guys made good cuts around him, so that was encouraging.”

Here’s another one from the same set. This time Williams gets the pass.


Grant Williams passing

He fakes the pass to Smart, then he fakes the pass to Walker who is cutting to the basket. That cut and second fake sucks in three defenders, which Williams sees and flips it to Smart for an easy look at a 3.

“You have to know that when you go into a game from a scouting perspective,” Stevens said. “What tendencies are, you have to know who’s guarding you, what they normally do.”

Williams’ isn’t even halfway through his rookie season, but the progression is evident. In-season improvements are important for all players, but especially for rookies. It’s a great sign to see players learning on the fly like Williams has. He’s not only adding to his game from college, but he’s re-shaping what he can do defensively.

He may never have the gaudy counting stats, but Williams is giving himself a great chance to be a long-term positive player in the NBA; the type of player who becomes a darling of advanced statistical analysts.

To put it a much simpler way: He does the little things, and those all add up to make a big impact.



bob



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His footwork is good and he has a quicker first step than earlier in the year.  I think he has adjusted to the speed of the NBA game

I very much agree that this young guy is improving as the season progresses. He does many things pretty well, and now that he is shooting better he is a much more complete player.

His height is out of his control, but if he were 6'10 he would have a very long and respected career in the NBA

Glad to see the early season whipping boy is getting a break.

mrkleen09 wrote:Glad to see the early season whipping boy is getting a break.

The kid was 0-25 from 3. What'd you expect?


bob


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Footwork drills for Grant Williams

https://twitter.com/RedsArmy_John/status/1217568088524296192/video/1


bob


.

bobheckler wrote:

mrkleen09 wrote:Glad to see the early season whipping boy is getting a break.

The kid was 0-25 from 3.  What'd you expect?


bob


.

My comment is about his defense. No break warranted for his 18% from deep.

I should add that he is shooting 44% from deep through 7 games this year.

That is a good trend.

bobheckler wrote:

mrkleen09 wrote:Glad to see the early season whipping boy is getting a break.

The kid was 0-25 from 3.  What'd you expect?


bob


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To give him credit for all the other things he does well. Good passer, good help defender, decent rebounder, sets good screens. Saying the early criticism of GW was only about his 3 point shooting is being disingenuous.

Kleen

Grant's shooting from deep has certainly been a point of conversation not just by Celtics fans but also by the various analysts and play by play guys.

I think most questions have centered on that.

If you look at his statistics there is really not much there to get excited about but what continues to stand out is his overall fit on offense and defense although the defensive side is stronger at this point.

That fit however may never translate into anything other than a rotation guy.  I expect that his bottom line productivity will increase over time but I cannot see him as a full time starter.   He's logging 15 MPG.  Sometimes he plays more or substantially less than that.  Can he becomes a 10 and 6 guy?  We really do not know.

He's a rookie that is just getting started in his career.  He is well supported by most posters on this board but like every player he will be the subject of criticism and praise just like every player on this team.

Again his 3 point shooting has been particularly ghastly and has masked other things that he does much better.

The Celtics need bench scoring, not tweeners with some defensive chops. How many Semi Ojele's can we afford to rotate in and out?

He’s averaging 3.4 points, on 38.7 percent shooting (including 18.8 percent on 3-pointers), 2.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.

I still don't like him, despite his D, which I am not astute enough to appreciate. Last night he was on the court, wide open at the 3 point line. Wide open. He did not take the shot. Instead he made a very bad pass which went out of bounds. Announcer Chris Webber complimented him on his decision making. Say what?

Semi is a similar guy. Decent D and strong but not much O, though he did score more 3's 2-4 than did our $130M man, Gordon, with whom I am very disappointed as well for going 1-10 in a key game.

worcester wrote:He’s averaging 3.4 points, on 38.7 percent shooting (including 18.8 percent on 3-pointers), 2.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.

I still don't like him, despite his D, which I am not astute enough to appreciate. Last night he was on the court, wide open at the 3 point line. Wide open. He did not take the shot. Instead he made a very bad pass which went out of bounds. Announcer Chris Webber complimented him on his decision making. Say what?

Semi is a similar guy. Decent D and strong but not much O, though he did score more 3's 2-4 than did our $130M man, Gordon, with whom I am very disappointed as well for going 1-10 in a key game.

He reminds me of Yabusele.
Doesn't have an athletic/long body and is limited offensively.
He looks like a football player trying to play basketball.

TJ, I was actually hoping the Patriots would sign him as a linebacker.

tjmakz wrote:

He reminds me of Yabusele.
Doesn't have an athletic/long body and is limited offensively.
He looks like a football player trying to play basketball.

Yeah, except this

Williams was an All-Southeastern Conference player as a freshman, sophomore, and junior. He was awarded back-to-back SEC Player of the Year honors for the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons, becoming the first player to do so since Corliss Williamson in 1995.

All SEC? Rob Williams was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year and earned 2nd Team All-SEC honors. How has that worked out for us?

worcester wrote:All SEC? Rob Williams was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year and earned 2nd Team All-SEC honors. How has that worked out for us?

I dont know yet...and neither do you.

The negativity out here, about 22 year old kids is mind blowing at times. Some of you guys need to go have a scotch and relax.

I do know that Rob has not worked out for us yet in 18 months. Other teams have drafted bigs who have contributed mightily in that time span. I am hoping RWill has a great March and April and that GWill becomes an obvious contributor, but both are too one dimensional for my liking now. Discouraged. With just a little help in the drafting department we'd be over the top right now. I'd like to trade picks and/or players for a seasoned shooter and a decent big.

Sometimes you can see a college guy play and have a strong feeling that his skills are transferable to the next level.  I had questions about his abilities and especially his physical profile.   But he has time to improve on everything but his physical profile is baked into the cake.  

You just never know in many cases.

He seems far removed from his SEC accolades.  I do not expect him to be an 18 ppg scorer or average 7.5 rebounds like he did at TN.  

I will be happy if he continues to improve and can give us some rotation minutes.

I do not think playing him at center is going to help him much and think 4 is a better option for him.

That's Brad's decision.

What is the difference between criticism and negativity?

Is it possible to critique something and not create a negative conclusion?

dboss wrote:What is the difference between criticism and negativity?

Is it possible to critique something and not create a negative conclusion?

In this thread alone we have heard:

We dont need tweeners
He looks like a football player
Rob Williams is a bust
We would be a good team if we only had a GM that knew how to draft

In order to qualify as criticism, it has to be CONSTRUCTIVE.

Carry on guys - its your prerogative. But this board is in support of the 3rd best team in the East and 5th or 6th in the NBA. Not sure what all the bitching is about.

mrkleen, no need to set up straw dogs.

We dont need tweeners - Well, we really don't. We need a reliable 4 and a reliable 5. Jayson is filling in well at 4. We don't have a full bodied 5 who is good on both ends of the court. We are getting by, but there is room for an upgrade.

He looks like a football player - GWill does. So what? In some ways he plays like one. I hope he is as good as Brad thinks. I personally don't get his offense, and he sure as hell is miscast as a 5.

Rob Williams is a bust -  That is not what was said about him. So far he has not panned out. We are hoping he will have a great March and April. So far there's no basis for expecting his health will be consistently good.

We would be a good team if we only had a GM that knew how to draft - No one ever said that, but we would be an over the top great team instead of a very good team if Danny were more skilled at drafting bigs. Even Danny would probably admit to that shortcoming.  We all love Danny and wouldn't trade him, although knowing Danny, he might just trade himself for the right deal!

Kleen who pissed in your cornflakes?

Nice try d. You guys cry about every detail of this team on a daily basis, and I am the one who needs to explain my attitude? Lol.

I barely comment out here anymore as it has become a big bitchfest. I enjoy the team more when I don’t grind every possession into a grain of highly scrutinized sand.

My cornflakes are fine and so is my favorite basketball team. I am off to Chatham in the morning to eat oysters and drink macallan. All good on my end.

I love this team! They could finish 0-82 and I would be thrilled, all because the lying sack of shit loser quitter is no longer on the team. That fact alone will carry me for a few more years at least.

I would like to see a decent well rounded big and a sniper added somehow, as well as perfect health for Gordon, but I’ll enjoy the team in any event.