The Boston Celtics need to start thinking about the near future of the organization in addition to what’s to come for this upcoming season.

That said, Grant Williams set career highs across the board and played a huge role in getting Boston to the NBA Finals last year. He’s extension eligible, however it’s reported that extension talks are put on a pause between Williams and the Celtics.

Williams primary role was to be an impactful two way player off the bench, although he did start 21 games. He averaged 7.8 points per game, making 41.1 percent of his 3-pointers in the regular season and didn’t fall off too much in the playoffs, making 39.3 percent from behind the arc.

The third-year leap for Grant was evident and it couldn’t have come at a better time. He put in the work all offseason to be a better shooter, knowing that’s where he needed to improve in order to help the Celtics.

In doing so, Williams worked with Chris Matthews, also known as “Lethal Shooter” and it’s pretty fair to say that it paid off. Williams developed a true shot for himself and one that he confidently trusts to pull up and hit when he has the opportunity.

On the other side of the court, Williams is one of Boston’s best defenders. It’s obviously challenging to be looked at for your defensive prowess when you’re on a team with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Marcus Smart, Robert Williams, and Al Horford. 

Although, Grant has been tasked with somewhat impossible feats on the defensive end and he’s countered them quite flawlessly in my opinion. It’s not a wild take to say that Grant is one of the top defenders on the Celtics and there shouldn’t be any debate about it.

The Celtics have until Oct. 17 to extend Williams. If not, he will become a free agent in 2023. Grant can most likely maximize his earnings by going into free agency, but it would mean more to him if the Celtics extended him- it shows a level of trust and respect to a player (in my opinion). 

This is how Grant feels about being in Boston with the Celtics now and for the future:

“I love Boston, I love the fact that I not only get to be there and be around the team that I’m with, cause I have great relationships with the guys. But I also just love the city and being able to live there.”

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