Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum came to the defense of his former teammate, Grant Williams, who is the subject of nasty rumors regarding his attitude.
Williams’ attitude has been a main talking point ever since he left the Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks traded him at the deadline. Tatum, however, shared his truth about the 25-year-old.
Jayson Tatum Defends Ex-Boston Celtics Teammate Grant Williams
Williams went viral once again recently after a Celtics commentator, Mike Gorman, called the former Celtics and Mavericks forward an “annoying” player. Gorman also went on to describe Williams as a “bad locker room guy.”
“He was annoying to everybody,” Gorman said about Williams on 98.5 The Sports Hub, as transcribed by AHN Fire Digital.
“I think he–I think initially, everybody thought, ‘Oh, isn’t he kind of a wise a**, but he’s kind of cute, and he’s kinda funny.’ And then it just kinda wore thin, and it got thin quickly in Dallas obviously. If you start to take on [Luka] Doncic, you’re not gonna be around for long. So, yeah, he had some issues in that area that if he doesn’t get rid of–he’s not good enough to have teams say, ‘Well, okay, but despite that, we’re gonna keep him here ’cause he’s a great player.’ He’s not–he’s an extra. He’s an eighth, ninth, 10th guy on your roster, so those guys are very replaceable, especially if you get a guy that’s a bad locker room guy.”
Gorman further doubled down on the “bad locker room guy” take, adding that there’s no way someone like Williams will last on a team if he’s the eighth or ninth best player there.
Those are certainly harsh criticisms, and certainly undeserved. After all, while Williams is a vocal player and it’s his way of motivating the team, it’s unfair to say that he’s a bad teammate with just that.
Sure enough, Tatum didn’t take it kindly and make sure to give everyone an insider information on Williams. They played together for four seasons, and so if there’s anyone who knows Williams’ character all too well, it’s the Celtics superstar.
While sharing a tweet about Gorman’s claim, Tatum wrote: “Grant Williams = Great teammate!”
NBA fans certainly don’t need to hear any other commentaries from those who really haven’t seen Williams in the locker room. Tatum’s remarks should be enough proof that the buzz about Williams is unfounded.
Sure he may be annoying to watch with his on-court antics, but when it comes to his quality as a teammate, there’s no denying that he’s been a good one.
Dallas Mavericks GM Speaks Out on Grant Williams
But for those who are thinking that Jayson Tatum may be biased towards his friend, then the previous comments of Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison about Grant Williams should only further refute those nasty accusations against him.
After the Mavs traded Williams to the Charlotte Hornets, there have been talks that his bad attitude was the reason he was moved.
Harrison, however, fired back at those claims and emphasized that the only reason they dealt Williams away is because he’s not playing to their expectations.
“Grant doesn’t deserve the negativity he’s getting on social media. He was a good teammate,” Harrison said. “When you’re not playing up the the expectations you had coming into the season, then you have to make those types of changes.”
Hopefully, Tatum’s remarks, in support of Harrison’s previous comments, should be enough to clear Williams’ name.
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