Enes Kanter shares how Brad Stevens, Celtics pranked Grant Williams

Celtics center Enes Kanter shared how head coach Brad Stevens and the rest of Boston pranked rookie forward Grant Williams.

It’s pretty common for teams around the league to give their rookies a hard time, but the Boston Celtics do it not just with their coach’s blessing, but his active participation.

Celtics Head Coach Brad Stevens has a reputation as a buttoned-down, mild-mannered ‘aw-shucks’ sort of coaches, and while that’s a very inaccurate framing outside of his professional duties in front of a microphone, it also erases his sense of humor.

Speaking on NBC Boston Sports’ “Enes Kanter Show,” Kanter shared a quick story of that sense of humor, and how the team punked rookie forward Grant Williams after a big full-team meal.

“So yesterday, Brad came to our table; he’s like, ‘Listen, we always get the rookies, just always get the rookies somehow,” began the Turkish big man.

“Before everybody leaves, just make sure you openly appreciate Grant, and act like he’s paying for to the bill, and it was like thousands and thousands of dollars. When we were about to leave, you’re like, ‘Hey, Grant, thank you, man; we appreciate it. Thanks for everything, we appreciate it,’ or whatever. And then at first he was like, ‘What happened?’ [and I’m like], ‘You’re generous, man.'”

“I think Coach Brad said they got Rob [Williams III] in his first year; now we got Grant,” offered Kanter. “It was fun,”

To have been a fly on the wall for that moment; you can just picture Williams’ puzzled face as he scrambles to remember what someone might have said to make them think he’d be footing the bill for the entire roster.

That the Tennessee product is one of the most gregarious souls on a team full of such players only makes it better.

At least he won’t have to deal with popcorn smell in his car like Jaylen Brown once had to.

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