Part of being a rookie is learning the ropes of a new situation and league, and for loquacious second-year forward Grant Williams, there were a few moments his mouth made that rope-learning business a more fraught prospect than it otherwise might have.
Thankfully for his own peace of mind, the Tennessee product looks back on those moments with laughter.
Speaking to Bob Ryan and Jeff Goodman on the eponymous “Goodman and Ryan” podcast about his rookie season among several topics in a recent exclusive interview, Williams shared some of the moments his talkative nature landed him in trouble as a rookie.
“There was definitely a moment,” began the former Vol. “I’ll say one of the two.”
“The first I’ll give you a hint about — I definitely tried to speak up and that … meeting we had, or whatever it was after game two of the Eastern Conference Finals definitely told ‘Shut the fuck up’ then. Before then, I got told to be quiet because I kept trying to explain how [the league] worked, how this team plays and stuff like that. And [they said] ‘You just got here; how do you know how this team is going to play or how this player does this?’ and I was like ‘I’m just trying to help, I’m sorry'”.
“I definitely got a couple of ‘shut ups'”, added the Charlotte native.
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Williams is a vocal big man on the court as well, which has generated a bit of friction with teammates as well, who helped him realize it isn’t always necessary to call the play verbally if everyone clearly recognizes it unfolding.
“Theis has told me ‘shut up’ a couple of times, because I’ll be on the court trying to call someone else’s play,” added Williams. “And he’s like, ‘Just let the play happen; we know what’s coming, but you don’t have to call it out what’s coming’. There’s a clip of me at an Eastern Conference Finals [game] screaming at Duncan Robinson for a play.”
“I was like, ‘Yeah, those those are the points where like, okay, Grant, sometimes you talk a lot'” he said with a grin.
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As in many arenas in life, a new job — even in the NBA — has a distinct culture new hires need to adapt to.
The level of acceptable chatter on the job varying enough to get in the doghouse for a time by crossing invisible lines we are not yet aware of is a relatable issue for most of us.
That Williams is self-aware enough to have already adapted while taking it stride bodes well for his future as a (you guessed it) vocal leader on this team.
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