Grant Williams had a career night in the Celtics’ win over the Pistons
The rookie scored 18 points in a season-high 30 minutes off the bench.
Friday night’s 114-93 win over the Detroit Pistons marked the best performance of Celtics rookie Grant Williams’s young NBA career.
With Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart injured, the forward played a career-high 30 minutes off the bench and responded with a career-high 18 points on 8 of 10 shooting. The 6-foot-6 Williams displayed his versatility, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers and finishing shots around the rim to lead a 49-point outburst from the Celtics’ reserves.
In losses last week to the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers, the bench combined to score 41 points across the two games, making Friday’s contribution from Williams that much more promising.
“I thought our bench was really good,” said Celtics coach Brad Stevens. “Everybody that played was a positive. That’s a good thing because obviously we’re leaning on a bunch of different guys.”
Williams began his career 0-25 from behind the arc, sparking lighthearted Ben Simmons comparisons, but he made 2 of 3 3-pointers Friday and is now 4 of 7 from 3 since.
The Tennessee product said he never let his confidence waver during the tough stretch.
“That confidence was there before,” Williams said. “I wasn’t hesitant. They just hadn’t gone down. Now, it’s just I keep shooting them and my teammates want me to. I take the good and open ones, and sometimes the ones they yell at me for not shooting.”
Stevens praised Williams’s defense following Wednesday’s win over the Dallas Mavericks and said he thought he guarded the perimeter well again on Friday. Williams finished plus-14, blocked Derrick Rose, and raised the roof at the TD Garden after a put-back dunk.
Okay then Grant! https://t.co/rxEK69oMtO
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 21, 2019
“It felt cool, it was fun for sure,” Williams said. “You’re out there for a longer stint and you’re just a little more comfortable and playing with a little more flow. However many minutes I get, I got to make the most of them.”
Hayward, Smart, and big man Robert Williams have no exact timetable on when they will return, so Williams, who entered Friday’s game with 52 career points, may continue to see a sizable role off the bench.
The Celtics host the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday at 6 p.m. at TD Garden.
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