Amari Williams

[Phantom255x]

Even though the box score won't show much I thought he did fairly well in the 15 minutes he played given the circumstances and also against a pretty stout Detroit frontcourt. Had a few nice blocks and also had the game winning rebound tip after the FT miss.

They need to give him some more minutes or at least give him a little exposure even after Queta returns. He certainly to me looked better than Garza. Garza I acknowledge puts in the effort but man he's just rough out there and at times clueless.

We might having something with Amari though, even if it's like a 4th big or fringe 3rd big on a contender.

[radiohead]

Even though the box score won't show much I thought he did fairly well in the 15 minutes he played given the circumstances and also against a pretty stout Detroit frontcourt. Had a few nice blocks and also had the game winning rebound tip after the FT miss.

They need to give him some more minutes or at least give him a little exposure even after Queta returns. He certainly to me looked better than Garza. Garza I acknowledge puts in the effort but man he's just rough out there and at times clueless.

We might having something with Amari though, even if it's like a 4th big or fringe 3rd big on a contender.

For some reason he reminds me of ex Celtic Amir Johnson. Tall and lanky, not much of an offensive game, but with really nice defensive instincts.

[slightly biased bias fan]

What I find crazy is that Amari is about to turn 24 in January.

For a reasonably old rookie, he is extremely raw. Obviously the Celtics have a drafting formula and he must fit into the equation, but I am perplexed as to how much growth can be achieved at his age.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Come on over to the Amari Williams Island. I have to admit, after summer league it was pretty uninhabited over here, but there's plenty of time still to purchase some beachfront property!

If he can figure it, he has the athleticism and passing to be a starting center in the NBA.

Big "if" there, but the Celtics have had some luck in recent years developing fringe NBA bigs into solid rotation players (Kornet and Neemis).

[Jiri Welsch]

Feels like Joe has seen enough with Garza. So he might be getting some burn with Queta out.

[Vermont Green]

Amari has come a long way since summer league.  But still a way to go.  I still like him.  Like how he moves on the court.  Good natural defense instincts.

[hwangjini_1]

What I find crazy is that Amari is about to turn 24 in January.

For a reasonably old rookie, he is extremely raw. Obviously the Celtics have a drafting formula and he must fit into the equation, but I am perplexed as to how much growth can be achieved at his age.

after watching what the celtics have done with walsh, hauser, kornet, and queta maybe quite a bit.

[Atzar]

I need him to be more assertive, especially on the glass.  Don't be a decoration.  Three boards in fifteen minutes isn't lovely. 

That said, I'm at the point with this big rotation that I'm more interested in seeing the "unknown but probably not" out there on the court than the "lol nah".  IMO we already know that Garza isn't a rotation big in this league.  Seen enough.  Tillman too.  Seen enough.  Williams, at least, has the size and agility to potentially play in this league.  So throw him out there for a while and see what he learns.

[Vermont Green]

Keep in mind that it does not really matter what Amari does this season, other than improve.  It is all about what is he ready to do by the start of next season.  What role can he have on an actual contending team.  It looks like he is already ahead of Garza.

Prior to the DET game, Amari had a total of 7 NBA minutes and 7 games / 218 minutes in the G-league.  The level of improvement from that first NBA game to now is impressive.  If he can maintain that trajectory, he will be fine to help the team in 2026-27.  I would like to see him get more time in G-League.  I know they need him on the big team right now, with Queta out, but the G-League experience seems to have made a big difference.

[86MaxwellSmart]

Amari saved the last game by tipping that missed free throw, so PP could secure it.

He is Huge too.

[Celtics4ever]

He was a really raw player when we drafted him.   I think he still needs a lot of work, in terms of explosive athletic ability.  His shot was terrible when drafted.

On the positive, he has a great basketball IQ  and is a superb passer.   He can set a pick and has improved a lot in that regard.

I would not bet against him in terms of him being a competitive NBA player in a year.

[Silas]

He was a really raw player when we drafted him.   I think he still needs a lot of work, in terms of explosive athletic ability.  His shot was terrible when drafted.

On the positive, he has a great basketball IQ  and is a superb passer.   He can set a pick and has improved a lot in that regard.

I would not bet against him in terms of him being a competitive NBA player in a year.

Think how Kornet and Q developed their game with help from Joe and his staff.

[Neurotic Guy]

He was a really raw player when we drafted him.   I think he still needs a lot of work, in terms of explosive athletic ability.  His shot was terrible when drafted.

On the positive, he has a great basketball IQ  and is a superb passer.   He can set a pick and has improved a lot in that regard.

I would not bet against him in terms of him being a competitive NBA player in a year.

I don?t know Amaris history.  Why is he so raw at 23 (pushing 24)?

[slamtheking]

He was a really raw player when we drafted him.   I think he still needs a lot of work, in terms of explosive athletic ability.  His shot was terrible when drafted.

On the positive, he has a great basketball IQ  and is a superb passer.   He can set a pick and has improved a lot in that regard.

I would not bet against him in terms of him being a competitive NBA player in a year.

I think that's a reach for next year.  I like his passing but other than that, he's too passive on the boards and not is the best position for defense/rebounding.  That can be taught (he's supposedly pretty smart and teachable) so that would hopefully improve.  I think next year might be too fast to expect real results.  I think it would be more fair to hope he can improve to 3rd string center in 2 years (or to provide a more direct comparison, Queta's level last year) and if he does, he was a good pick.   As of right now though, I think that's more than a bit on the optimistic side.