Dallas Mavs' Grant Williams Featured in Top 100 of ESPN's NBA Player Rankings

After coming in at No. 99 in ESPN's NBA player rankings last year, new Dallas Mavs' signee Grant Williams moves up a few spots ahead of his first year playing with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

The Dallas Mavericks have three players featured in the top-100 of ESPN's NBArank this year, and Grant Williams, who was acquired from the Boston Celtics in a three-team sign-and-trade overt the offseason, moves up two spots from his place last season to No. 97. Williams, who signed a four-year, $54 million contract, instantly becomes the Mavs' best 3-and-D frontcourt option.

"Dallas prioritized defense, intelligence and toughness last offseason," says ESPN. "He joins stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving as the three players who are locks for Dallas' starting lineup."

Standing at just 6-6, Williams utilizes his strength at the power forward position to play bigger than his height. His shooting ability, especially being unable to reliably sink shots from deep, has drastically improved since his rookie season in 2019-20, as he's shot 39.7 percent from beyond the arc over his last three seasons.

After coming in at No. 99 in 2022, new Mavs' signee Grant Williams moves up a few spots in his first year playing with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving :: Grant Williams / Twitter

Originally an AP All-American selection out of Tennessee in 2019, Williams declared for the NBA Draft that year along with his teammate Admiral Schofield, who is now with the Orlando Magic forward. He was the No. 22 pick in the first round of his draft.

Since then, the versatile forward has been known as being a fan-favorite among NBA fans. From his famous "Imma make 'em both" game, where he missed two crucial free throws in a Celtics loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, to his "Batman" nickname with mask to go with it, Williams brings more than just toughness and shooting to Dallas.

Williams' value extends beyond regular season play, which is something the Mavs surely took into consideration before trading for him. In the 2022 playoffs, the forward led all scorers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks, putting up 27 points in a series-sealing performance while outscoring players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown.

In the 2023 playoffs, Williams made himself a crucial defensive asset for Boston, playing consistent crunch-time minutes in the two seven-game series against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round, and then in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat.

Williams provides a skillset that the Mavs desperately needed, and the hope is that he can help the franchise make it back to the postseason while also improving on top-100 NBA player ranking.

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