Grant Williams

Grant Williams will probably always be a better real-life teammate than a fantasy assert, as his positive locker room presence and ability to switch well on defense unfortunately provides no fantasy benefit. In his second season, he honed his skills as a possible 3-and-D player and shot an improved 37.2 percent from behind the arc. But Williams averaged only 4.7 points and 2.8 rebounds over 18.1 minutes per game last year. The departure of Semi Ojeleye to Milwaukee leaves Williams as Boston's only true power forward reserve behind star Jayson Tatum, but the Celtics might experiment with veteran Al Horford at power forward. Ultimately, Williams will provide more value to the Celtics than your fantasy squad and should be avoided in most formats.

During his rookie season, Grant Williams supplied the all the intangibles the Celtics were hoping for when they picked the 6-foot-7 big man with the 22nd pick in the 2019 Draft. Those intangibles, such as switching on defense, setting tough picks and being a positive influence in the locker room, unfortunately won't help your fantasy team. Heading into 2020-21, expect Williams to see more minutes at center when the Celtics decide to go small. Also expect Williams to improve on his 25.0 percent three-point shooting from last season. Over the last 40 games of the season, the Tennessee product shot 33.3 percent from the behind the arc. Williams will probably see more floor time than the 15.1 minutes per game he received as a rookie. But that playing time boost will probably be modest and most likely won't result in much statistical improvement. Williams is still looking up at Jayson Tatum, Daniel Theis and Tristan Thompson on the Boston depth chart.

Grant Williams, the 22nd pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, has "Glue Guy" written all over him. No one questions Williams' team-first attitude. The concern is his size. At 6-foot-7, can Williams legitimately play power forward in the Association? His 7.5 rebounds per game during his last Vol season certainly look appealing to a Boston squad that's struggled on the boards. With the departure of both Al Horford and Aron Baynes, big-man minutes are certainly available, even with the addition of Enes Kanter. Boston did retain Daniel Theis, but he's had injury issues during both his prior Celtics seasons. Long-term, Boston would love for Williams to evolve into an effective inside presence, guarding bigs and cleaning the glass, while allowing the more dynamic Jayson Tatum or Gordon Hayward to work outside the key. Expecting that to occur during Williams' rookie season is probably asking too much, though. Expect Boston to bring their young Williams bigs (Grant and Robert) along slowly while they learn the subtleties of coach Brad Stevens' system. A slower approach would also grant Williams time to improve his catch-and-shoot three-pointer, something he showed potential with during college, draining 33 percent of his treys his final collegiate season. Playing time will be inconsistent for Williams, but the opportunity to shine does exist.