Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla played Grant Williams in Game 3 for the first time in this first round series and he delivered like we all knew he would. Why? Because regardless of all the antics and narratives, Grant is a big time player and shows up in the playoffs.

Here is what Rob said about Grant:

“It can help us tremendously. Grant is one of those players who’s always ready to play even if he hasn’t played the last four or five games. I try to stay in his ear and he try to do the same for me. I tell him we’re going to need him, the playoffs get tough going down that road, so thankfully he stepped up.”

Grant finished his playoff debut shooting 4-of-4 from deep and scored 14 points. Mazzulla is a big matchup and analytics guy, however, Grant could prove to be a great matchup in this series for the way he can defend.

If Boston is looking to start switching on defense, Grant Williams could be the player who steps in for that.

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Photo Credit: Brynn Anderson, AP