NBA Finals: Grant Williams due for elite shooting night
With the Boston Celtics trailing the Golden State Warriors 3-2 in the NBA Finals, Tennessee basketball may come up short yet again in having a former player win a title while having a significant contribution. The reason is because Grant Williams hasn’t made the contribution that was expected of him yet.
Through five games of the finals, Williams, is averaging under four and a half points and under three rebounds while barely over half a block in over 17 minutes of play. That’s a huge drop-off from his average of over eight and a half points the first three rounds, including double figures the first two rounds.
At issue has been Williams’ drop-off shooting the three. As a 6’6″ 236-pound power forward, being able to stretch the floor outside is key to his game. Throughout the NBA Finals so far, he has shot 3-of-9 from beyond the arc and never made more than one a game.
The one game he scored double figures, Williams was 1-of-4 from beyond the arc. He’s also missed two of his five free throw attempts, killing his shooting efficiency All of this suggests one thing, though, as the Celtics head into Game 6: Williams is due.
In each of the other playoff series, Williams was good for one or two red-hot shooting games from outside that delivered the Celtics crucial wins and helped his average. He went 3-of-3 from the three-point line with 17 points and 4-of-4 from outside with 14 points in Game 2 and Game 4 respectively against the Brooklyn Nets.
Against the Milwaukee Bucks, Williams went 6-of-9 from three with 21 points in Game 2 and 7-of-18 from three with 27 points in the crucial Game 7 to secure them the series win. He then went 2-of-2 from three with 19 points in Boston’s Game 2 win of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat.
Simply put, every time Boston needed a crucial win, Williams came through. That hasn’t happened yet in the NBA Finals, though, and he’s had his opportunities. It’s a big reason they trail the series right now, and it’s one Williams needs to address.
With the series back in Boston, Williams has a chance to get into a rhythm. He proved against Milwaukee that he can be clutch, and the Celtics need him to be clutch now more than ever. Stepping up these next two games would elevate his statue in the pros in a huge way.
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Nobody expects Williams to be the key reason the Celtics come back in this series. Jayson Tatum is still the star, and he has had his own issues. However, if Williams gets going, he could help spur Tatum, and that would change the course of this NBA Finals. When the two tip-off Thursday night, it should be Williams’ time to step up.