NBA Superstar Jayson Tatum recently came to the rescue of his former teammate and the current Charlotte Hornets Superstar Grant Williams who has played five NBA seasons with the Boston Celtics as a small forward.
After playing for the Celtics from 2019 to 2023, Williams was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in a sign and trade agreement for the 2023-24 season. He was later traded to the Charlotte Hornets where he currently plays. Recently, the SF came under fire from fans, and former-teammate Jayson Tatum was the first to step up in Williams’ defense.
Jayson Tatum defends Grant Williams
Five-time NBA All-Star Jayson Tatum went on twitter to defend Grant Williams after the reports of him being a bad teammate started circulating in the media.
“Grant Williams=Great teammate!”, wrote Tatum in the caption of a post he retweeted from NBA Central which reported that Williams was allegedly an annoying and bad locker-room persona.
It is interesting to see that the former teammates still have a good bond between them despite their competitive nature as Tatum has, in fact, previously fired words at Williams.
Both Tatum and Williams have been instrumental in each other’s success, contributing significantly to the Celtics’ journey to the NBA Finals in the 2021-22 season. However, despite their efforts, they were defeated by the Golden State Warriors. Additionally, they reached the conference finals twice, facing the Miami Heat on both occasions, but were unable to advance further.
Grant Williams was criticized for what?
Mike Gorman, speaking on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher & Hardy,” expressed criticism towards Hornets Forward Grant Williams, suggesting that he may be viewed as a negative influence in the locker room. Gorman alleged that players with a reputation for causing discord in the locker room tend not to remain with a team for an extended period, especially if they are relegated to lower positions in the team’s lineup.
He said, “If you’re a bad locker room guy, you’re an eighth or ninth guy, you’re not going to be the eighth or ninth guy for long because you’re not going to be on the team for long.”
Gorman further added, “He was annoying to everybody. I think, initially, everybody thought he was kind of a wise ass, but he’s kind of cute, and he’s kind of funny. Then it just kind of wore thin. It got thin in Dallas, obviously. If you start to take on Doncic, obviously, you’re not going to be around for long.”
Grant Williams is enduring a challenging season amid the Charlotte Hornets’ struggles in the Eastern Conference. On the other hand, Jayson Tatum continues to excel as the leader of the Celtics, who currently hold the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings. While Tatum has showcased remarkable performances, he still faces difficulties in proving himself in clutch situations.
It will be interesting to see if Tatum can finally lead the Celtics to championship glory this time around. Comment down and let us know if you think the Boston Celtics can get it done this season!
