Losing Grant Williams has become the defining moment of another disappointing Charlotte Hornets campaign

Grant Williams' two-way impact has been sorely missed.

Matt Alquiza | 15 Hours Ago

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Charlotte Hornets

Grant Williams' game doesn't scream 'superstar.' It doesn't really even scream 'all star.' But for the Charlotte Hornets it was everything. Williams' statistical output is nothing special, but neither Charlotte's 1-17 record since he was lost for the season.

It was hard to tell at the time, but Williams was the glue that held Charles Lee's squad together before he went down with a devastating knee injury. What Grant Williams play style lacks in flash and highlights it makes up for it in substance and impact. The injury to Charlotte's key front court reserve has been arguably the defining factor in the bottoming out of the Hornets' season.

Williams two-way impact is sorely missed

Grant Williams was a savvy two-way player that impacted the game on both ends of the court. On offense, Williams operated as the jack-of-all-trades for the Hornets.

His ability to set strong, legal screens on the perimeter set Brandon Miller free for multiple three-point attempts per contest. His ball handling ability at his size gave Charlotte a connective piece that could function anywhere on the court. His pull-up shooting ability was a real weapon in transition for the Hornets offense.

Grant Williams' value didn't permeate in a single dominant skill: it came from the high floor he brought across a myriad of skills.

He raised Charlotte's defensive floor in the same way.

Need to switch a screen? Williams could hold his own against shifty guards on the perimeter. Need to play small ball because all three of your true center options are on the pine? Williams can bang on the interior with opposing big men, frustrating them into fouls and poor decisions.

The statistics say that Grant Williams was the skeleton key that unlocked a number of Charlotte lineups.

According to Cleaning The Glass, three of the four most successful Hornets lineups that have played greater than 35 possessions included Grant Williams in them. That's a convoluted truth, but the statistics bear out the truth of the matter: Charlotte was better with Grant Williams on the floor.

Also via Cleaning The Glass, Williams' on/off net rating of +13.7 is the second best on the team, only behind surprising contributor Moussa Diabate. Charlotte's offense was 13.5 points per 100 possessions greather than their average with Williams on the court, a 98 percentile number across the Association.

There are numerous reasons why Charlotte's season has spiraled in recent weeks. Poor shooting, inattentive defense, too many fouls, injuries to LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Tre Mann. And while all of those have hurt the Hornets, none compare to the loss of Grant Williams.

With everybody on the Hornets healthy, including Williams and Mann, Charlotte could trot out a solid 10 player rotation that could compete with anybody. Unfortunately, at 7-23, Hornets fans can only dream of the "what if" when it comes to health. Mann continues to miss time, Grant Williams won't return until late 2025/early 2026, and Charlotte is set to make another selection in the lottery of the 2025 NBA Draft.