Jayson Tatum defends Grant Williams amid report he was a ‘bad locker room guy’
Grant Williams has caught plenty of flak over the last few weeks since his trade from the Mavericks.
Former Celtics forward Grant Williams has caught plenty of flak over the last few weeks — especially in the wake of his short stint with the Dallas Mavericks.
On Wednesday morning, longtime Celtics play-by-play broadcaster Mike Gorman noted on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher and Hardy” that Williams wasn’t exactly the most likable presence in Boston.
“He was annoying to everybody. I think, initially, everybody thought he was kind of a wise-ass, but he’s kind of cute, and he’s kind of funny,” Gorman said of Williams. “Then it just kind of wore thin. It got thin in Dallas, obviously. …He had some issues in that area that if he doesn’t get rid of, he doesn’t have enough for teams to say, ‘Well OK, but despite that, we’re going to keep him here because he’s a great player.’ He’s not.
“He’s an extra. An eighth, ninth, or 10th guy on your roster, so those guys are very replaceable. The guy’s a bad locker room guy. If you’re a bad locker room guy, you’re an eighth or ninth guy, you’re not going to be the eighth or ninth guy for long because you’re not going to be on the team for long.”
Gorman’s comments prompted a response from Williams’ former Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum, who took to social media to defend his friend.
But Gorman is not an outlier when it comes to doling out some harsh words toward Williams and his reputation in the NBA.
After Boston traded Williams to the Mavericks during the 2023 offseason, the 25-year-old forward logged just 47 games with Dallas before getting dealt to the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 8.
ESPN reporter Tim MacMahon didn’t offer a ringing endorsement for Williams during his tenure in Dallas.
“One of the ways that Grant Williams rubbed people the wrong way — the yap, yap, yapping, obviously,” MacMahon said on the Hoop Collective Podcast. “That’s kind of part of it with him. It’s charmingly obnoxious if it’s productive, and it’s grating when he’s not.
“He didn’t report in good shape. Grant Williams not in good shape is not a good defender. Grant Williams has proven throughout the course of his career that when he gets in shape, he can be an impactful defender. But that’s not the guy that the Mavericks got.”
Williams, who signed a four-year, $53.3 million contract last offseason, will look for a clean start with Charlotte. He’s averaging 13.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per contest over his 14 games with the Hornets so far.
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