Grant Williams Reveals Which Celtics Coach Was Best He Played For

Grant Williams only has been in the NBA for four seasons, but he’s already played for three different head coaches.

The 24-year-old began his career with current president of basketball operations Brad Stevens. In his third season, Ime Udoka took over, and after the current Houston Rockets head coach was suspended by the Boston Celtics, he played under Joe Mazzulla.

The trio brought their own personalities and identities to the Celtics, and Williams, who was shipped off to the Dallas Mavericks, this offseason, named his favorite to play for while he was with the Green.

“Brad, I would say was a great X’s and O’s coach, who’s a great analytics guy,” Williams told JJ Reddick on his “The Old Man and the Three” podcast. “He followed that, and he followed the numbers but also did a good job of making sure we drew up a play. He felt like he was directly involved. About Ime, I thought he was the best of both worlds. He was not only able to do X’s and O’s, defense and everything like that and has a grit to him that allowed him to relate to players in a personal level that allowed him to challenge them to be the best they could possibly be while also having the respect enough to understand that he doesn’t have to challenge them always. He can lift them up, too. That’s why I think Ime is probably the best one I’ve played for. …

“And then with Joe, he’s similar to Brad in the sense that he is very analytical, but he has an offensive-based mind. He’ll provide the team with a great mentality of pace, and space and open shots and threes, which is the new generation and new age.”

Udoka brought a defensive intensity to the Celtics that felt lost this past season under Joe Mazzulla, who Williams still considers a “friend.” Boston brought on new assistants who likely will help the C’s get back into form on defense while they continue to strive to be one of the top offenses in the league.

Williams will move on to play under Jason Kidd, who will be Williams’ fourth head coach in five seasons.

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