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Payton Pritchard credits Grant Williams loquacious nature for keeping the team focused on winning

Justin Quinn
·2 min read

It was not that long ago that the more impatient fans of the Boston Celtics were ready to ship forward Grant Williams to any team that would take him. The former Tennessee player struggled in his second season with the team to adapt to a different role and showed only minor signs of growth as a player.

But Williams has shown he can be a serious contributor with one of the best shots on the team and flexible, effective defense on the other end. He has become an invaluable part of Boston’s rotations. Speaking with the media after practice on Thursday, teammate Payton Pritchard was asked what he can say about that growth this season.

“Unbelievable,” replied Pritchard. “This year, Grant worked his butt off (during) the offseason.”

“He definitely improved on his shooting, and it brings a lot to the table,” added the West Linn native.

“Everybody knows Grant likes to talk, but it helps the locker room, so he’s been great. The role players in the last year, fighting for minutes this year, trying to establish yourself, you get together, you talk to each other just trying to fight for that role on this team. I think we all worried about winning, that’s about it.”

“We’re all one team, we’re all brothers (with) one goal in mind — winning — so whatever it takes,” Pritchard added.

In past seasons, Boston struggled to align the individual interests, so Williams’ ability to aid the coaching staff with that critical aspect of teambuilding has undoubtedly played a role in the Celtics’ recent success.

Already emerging as one of the team’s most important leaders in just his third season, the former Vol will likely continue to grow into the role as his career with Boston advances, reaffirming the value of going after high-character prospects in the draft.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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