Grant Williams was glued to the bench in the first two games of this series. Sure, his spot in the rotation fluctuated throughout the regular season, but he appeared in 79 games and was a vital part of last season's run to the Finals. It seemed odd.
Then came the real test. After missing two games of the opening round, Williams took the floor in the first quarter of Friday's Game 3. Although his team took its first loss of this postseason, Williams provided a reminder of just how impactful he can be.
In a game where Boston's opposition could not miss from three — the Hawks shot 44.1% from deep in their 130-122 win — the Celtics needed efficient long-range shooting from everyone. Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White each shot over 40%. But, Jaylen Brown went 0-for-4 from deep. Al Horford finished 2-for-6.
Enter Williams, who shot 39.5% from deep throughout the regular season. Twelve of his 14 points came from beyond the arc, finishing a perfect 4-for-4 from three to help the Celtics finish shooting 43.8% from long range.
Again, it wasn't enough, but Williams did what he was asked to do on the offensive end, scoring those 14 points in just 17:42 of work. He also dished out two assists, and one of his two boards came on the offensive end — which was one of Boston's six offensive rebounds.
This was only the third time since the start of the 2022-23 regular season that Williams has logged double-digit points while playing fewer than 20 minutes. It's also his highest point total in a game where he's logged fewer than 20 minutes this season. More importantly, this performance came in a playoff game after he'd sat out the previous two contests.
Of course, a perfect shooting night can't be expected from Williams game-to-game. But that's not what this is about. Williams not only proved he still has plenty to offer, but that he can also withstand stretches in which he's stuck on the sideline.
"It says a lot about him being ready to play," Joe Mazzulla said about Williams before noting contributions like the forward's are crucial for teams looking to make a deep run.
