The Boston Celtics have chosen Tennessee big man Grant Williams with the 22nd pick of the 2019 NBA Draft.
After moving back to get the 24th and 33rd overall picks from tonight’s draft in exchange for selecting former Washington guard Matisse Thybulle for the franchise, Boston has taken a front court player who may be able to play immediately in the absence of likely-soon-to-be ex-Celtic big men Al Horford and Aron Baynes.
Williams, whose outstanding performance for Tennessee this season caught the interest of many teams around the league, is a little short for a traditional big man role at just 6-feet-7.5-inches tall, but his nearly 6-foot-10-inch wingspan and near-basket propensity for scoring will fill a greatly-needed skill for Boston.
A competent perimeter shooter — he hit 32.6 percent of the time from beyond the arc last season — who can play the pick-and-pop game in addition to his inside scoring, his high (81.9 percent) free throw rate suggests he may yet became a consistent threat from deep.
He’ll have to adjust his game in the NBA to account for his smaller stature, but after logging 18.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game for the Volunteers, he should be an exciting get for a team in need of something to look forward to.
