Grant is listed as 6'-6". In general, that is too small to play PF in the NBA and way too small to play C. Some players through strength, length of arms, or general athleticism can overcome that and be successful as a PF or C at that height. Grant only to a point.
Grant is a decent second tier off the bench player. He has some position versatility, can hit a 3 from time to time, and generally plays to not hurt the team. That is not bad for a 22 pick, probably average or a little below average for the draft position.
I don't think there is anything wrong with Grant Williams. This is just what he is. If there is anything "wrong" it's that the weaknesses in our roster force us to use him in roles he is not suited for, such as starting or being the first big off the bench.
this would be a fair description of the play he provided last year. sometimes exceeding that level.
This year, he's been pretty much a hot mess with only occasional good games. I'm not expecting anything productive from him in the playoffs if he gets minutes but he really needs to turn it around going into next season or he needs to be moved. he's almost unplayable at this point - barely better than Carsen Edwards and that's saying a lot.
Last season, he averaged 3.4 pts, 2.6 rebs, 24% 3p% in 15 min/gm.
This season he has averaged 4.3 pts, 2.8 rebs, 37% 3p% in 18 min/gm.
The only real decline is in FT%. I acknowledge that stats are not the whole story but I am seeing pretty much the same player this season as last. He did play well in a couple of play off games last season but he has had good games along the way this season also. But overall, in aggregate, I see pretty much the same guy, a decent bench player.
if you look beyond the stats, and don't forget he started last season with miserable shooting and finished as a functional offensive player, his passing is off this year, he's fumbling passes to him, his defense isn't as good either as an individual or in the team defensive scheme. he's just really off this season regardless of the statistics.
last season when he was on the court, he was making a positive impact regardless of his scoring. This year, he's having a negative impact in most games.
You go Slam ! Tell n it straight up !
Grant Williams RPM
Last year: -2.83
This year:-2.97
per the stats he's basically the same player.
Here’s another way of thinking about Grant. If you look at the entire year, he’s shooting better than last year. TS is up from 50 to 54. But even with a nice bump up to his shooting, his PER is down, and so are win shares, BPM, and VORP. Why? A start is that his rebounds, assists, block, and free throw rates all went down, while his turnover rate is up. All the this is consistent with what the eye test tells me, and a lot of the other commenters - he took a step back.
And, too, his RPM went down *while he shot better*.
I’d add - the TS% is up despite a dip in his free throw rate and %. His improvement in shooting from 2 and 3 is above 4%, but he doesn’t get to the line as much and is in his head when he does.