CHARLOTTE — Jaylen Brown referred to as the hit intentional, for positive. Derrick White was stunned by it, saying all the Celtics staff was, too. Jayson Tatum didn’t converse post-game after receiving the blow after scoring 32 factors in 36 minutes on Friday. He jumped to his ft, exited the rising scrum and walked to the free throw line undeterred.
But Grant Williams, who spoke a number of instances concerning the flagrant-2 foul he dedicated on Tatum within the fourth quarter after, referred to the play as an accident whereas he was making an attempt to make a play on the ball. He referred to as Tatum one among his finest mates, defined Brown’s agitated response as him merely defending his teammate and smiled predicting that they’d all be cool. Talking to NBC Sports activities Boston whereas exiting the world, although, he at the very least half-joked about former teammates not becoming a member of him for a deliberate dinner at his home.
“We talked final night time, simply because I used to be going to ask them over to my home,” Williams mentioned at shootaround on Friday. “However I instructed them I had a date night time with my lady. Let’s simply say that trumps them, however … I discuss to J.T. after the sport and stuff like that. I strive to not hassle them earlier than these video games, the identical means I don’t assume they try to hassle me. After we play, we’ll discuss lots. We would hang around tonight, simply because we have now a back-to-back, it’s a singular state of affairs. They don’t keep the night time on Saturday, so after tonight’s sport, perhaps, after which Saturday, we’ll simply dap up and go our separate methods.”
The play put the Celtics in a troublesome place, needing to again up their teammate in opposition to a former one who grew to become an equally vital and annoying voice from 2019-2023. Tatum and Williams appeared shut regardless of Tatum rolling his eyes at Williams’ self-proclaimed Batman nickname. Brown notably deemed his head-butting with Jimmy Butler through the 2023 East Convention Finals pointless. Like Ime Udoka did earlier than him, Brown burdened that Williams is usually a helpful contributor to a staff when he’s locked into his slim but vital function.
Desirous to increase past that marked the start of the tip of his time with Boston the earlier summer time. Williams and the Celtics, whereas motivated to re-sign Williams, couldn’t comply with a deal earlier than the rookie scale deadline, Boston reportedly providing a four-year contract value round $50 million. After an uneven season the place he tried too typically to create off the dribble and garnered a number of DNP-CDs from Joe Mazzulla throughout his first yr, Williams departed the Celtics for Dallas in a sign-and-trade value $54 million. The Mavericks traded him to the Hornets halfway via his first yr there, and finally reached the Finals in opposition to his former Boston staff.
“I feel it’s a part of life,” Williams instructed CLNS Media/CelticsBlog late final season. “You undergo issues and issues occur for a motive. Going again and what I may or couldn’t management, you possibly can’t function that means. It’s a must to look towards the long run and look to how one can both forestall issues from taking place the way in which they occurred once more, or come ready and even higher the following time.”
Williams discovered a house in his native Charlotte, taking part in heart typically and capturing 37.3% from three beneath Steve Clifford earlier than Charles Lee grew to become head coach in June. Williams led a visit to Sport 5 of the NBA Finals with Brandon Miller and Mark Williams, the place he popped into the post-game locker room celebration. Throughout and after the collection, he’s expressed happiness for his former teammates reaching the large stage, and Boston profitable, regardless of his departure being a part of their tales.
Now, he’s capturing 45.8% from deep to start this season and drained a game-winning three on Opening Night time in opposition to Houston. His voice and method may resonate extra on a youthful Charlotte staff, although scenes of him on the ground complaining to officers — a standard fault when he performed in Boston — shouting at teammates and his laborious foul distinction in opposition to his persona off the ground. He provides reporters extra time than perhaps some other participant within the league, dedicates as many hours to staff group efforts as anybody and is among the WNBA’s most vocal supporters, amongst his different admirable traits. His friends voted him as a NBPA vice chairman.
One thing appeared to shift through the depth of the sport, to the purpose the place he didn’t totally notice what he did unsuitable on Friday. White famous he’s too large to be committing laborious fouls. And in that second, whether or not intentional or not, Williams discovered himself in a well-recognized territory: in hassle for doing an excessive amount of.
“One thing that we’ll study and develop from,” Lee mentioned. “As a result of we’d like these guys on the court docket. I don’t need these guys to place themselves in positions the place they’re gonna damage themselves and their teammates … I feel a few of that zeal he performs with has helped us in plenty of moments this yr…as we put together and apply and he brings a terrific vitality and a bounce and a juice…as a result of he has a lot ardour and he’s fearless…he takes on plenty of completely different matchups. So I don’t need him to lose that. I simply need him to harness it in a means that we are able to hold him on the court docket.”
