Dallas Mavs 1-on-1: Grant Williams Talks 'Crucial' Team Bonding, Helping Luka Doncic & Kyrie Irving Carry Load
After failing to make the playoffs for the first time in three years, the Dallas Mavericks made some drastic changes over the offseason, adding seven new players on their 15-man roster. Arguably their biggest addition was Grant Williams, who was acquired from the Boston Celtics in July through a sign-and-trade.
On Thursday, Williams joined our Mavs Step Back Podcast to talk about a variety of topics, including how he ended up in Dallas on a new four-year, $56 million deal.
"I went through extension talks with Boston two summers ago, and it didn't turn out the way that we wanted," Williams said. "So at that point, you still are hopeful that Boston is going to be an option, but you also have to understand the options that are available.
"I know there were a couple [teams interested], San Antonio, Dallas. There were a bunch of teams on the network. ... The summer came, and all those potential options are available. You have to discern where you could potentially fit in best and also be wanted the most, and Dallas was that answer."
Given that Williams shares an agent with Luka Doncic in Billy Duffy, paired with the fact that he was wearing Doncic's signature shoes throughout last season, we wondered if the sign-and-trade had been targeted well before this past summer. Although Williams says the move wasn't premeditated, he gave a candid explanation for why he chose to wear Doncic's signature shoes.
"I wore Luka's shoes because I was fearful that if I wore [Jayson Tatum's] shoes, I might do something to [injure myself]," Williams said. "I was more concerned with finding the best shoes to play in, and I guess me and Luka's body type, let's just say, is pretty similar. Stop-and-go was more what I needed than vertical, athleticism. I ended up wearing Luka's shoes and then I wore them throughout the entire season."
Although Williams admits he's still recovering from the jet lag that came along with the Mavs' 12-day preseason trip overseas, he says the the bonding experience was 'crucial' for a team that has so many new pieces.
"In terms of the actual trip, I thought it was crucial," Williams said. "We may not have experienced the outcomes [in the preseason games] that we wanted, but we were able to not only get to know one another as people, because we spent so much time with each other off the floor, but we also got to know each other in a foreign environment where we were all kinda concerned, trying to figure out what's going on, what to do ... you get comfortable with one another."
Dallas Mavericks' Grant Williams drives past a Minnesota Timberwolves defender in Abu Dhabi.
David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
Williams believes that although the Mavs didn't win any of their first three preseason games, it allowed them identify their weaknesses early and address them in practices. Two key weaknesses last season included defense and rebounding, where Dallas finished 25th and 30th respectively. Williams is banking on his 'physicality' and 'toughness' to help get the Mavs back on track in those departments.
"The physicality, the toughness, the defensive mindset, as well as the 3-point shooting," Williams said about what he brings to the table alongside Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the rest of his new teammates. "And then the in between ... I've prepared to play the game of basketball my entire life, and I think it's time for a way of just kind of expanding and growing. That's something I'll have to do for this team to help us compete and help us win."
On offense, the Mavs hope Williams can be more than just a spot-up shooter on offense, which the Celtics throughout the first four years of his career. The 24-year-old versatile forward still has room to grow, and Dallas is determined to see just how high his ceiling is.
"That's what they're asking me to do early and trying to get me to shift my mindset from just being that spot-up shooter to being a more aggressive player. So it's pretty cool to be able to expand your role and also be mindful that you're going to have to do it all. You're going to have to hold yourself to a standard for an entire season," Williams said.
"It's really exciting for me. You know, I'm not saying it's gonna be peaches and roses all across the entire season, but I do think that there's a potential here for this team to continue to grow with one another and challenge one another to be great."
Doncic and Irving will carry most of the load for Dallas this season, but one of the biggest goals for Williams and the rest of the supporting case is to give their star duo enough support to give them a breather every now and then.
"Kai and Luka are gonna lead us along the way, but we've gotta have that support for them and don't ask them to do every single thing for us," Williams said. "Hopefully, Luka is gonna go for 60 on his own sometimes, but hopefully we don't need that every night. Hopefully we can do our jobs and really give him a chance of winning without him having to even have a great night of basketball."
You can watch and listen to our entire exclusive interview with Williams below. As always, thanks for tuning in, and be sure to hit that subscribe button on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere else you get your podcasts!
