Jaylen Brown Makes Stance Clear On Celtics Rookie Amari Williams
If you didn’t watch the Boston Celtics-Detroit Pistons game on Wednesday night and only checked the box score, you won’t understand the impact that rookie Amari Williams had on the game.
In his first extended opportunity in an NBA game, the 2025 second-round pick and seven-footer Williams played 15 minutes and didn’t take a shot. He hit one free throw, snagged three rebounds, and blocked two shots.
Williams’s two rejections were the only statistical hint of his defensive presence, which the Pistons definitely felt, and which the Celtics definitely appreciated.
Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown discussed Williams’s performance, sounding impressed with the young big man.
“That was impressive, I’m not gonna lie,” Brown said, per CLNS Media’s Noa Dalzell
“He hasn’t been with us (for most of the season) … you know, (there was) a lot of pressure (against the Pistons) in a high-profile game … coming in and making an impact, you know, credit to him … he did well for us.”
“Amari has talent,” Brown continued. “He can pass the ball. He’s a big guy, knows the game, but that was a big-time performance, man.”
Wednesday night was technically Williams’s third NBA game, but he only played in 40 seconds of his first and a little over six minutes in his second, meaning this was his true debut on an NBA floor for the Celtics in a meaningful role.
Williams, 23, is originally from Nottingham, England. Over five college seasons, he evolved into a versatile big man prized for his defensive instincts and playmaking touch. He anchored Drexel for four years, earning three CAA Defensive Player of the Year honors (the first player ever to do so) as a two-time All-CAA First Team pick and two-time team MVP. He amassed 186 blocks, ranking fifth in program history, while averaging 10.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.6 swats overall.
Transferring to Kentucky for his graduate year in 2024-25, Williams started all 36 games for the Wildcats, posting 10.9 points, a team-high 8.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 blocks on 56.1 percent shooting. He notched 10 double-doubles, tied Kentucky’s assist lead with 115 (a record for a 7-footer there), and became just the second SEC player ever to hit 375 points, 300 rebounds, 100 assists, 40 blocks, and 20 steals in a season. Kentucky reached the Sweet 16, where Williams tallied 14 points, four rebounds, and three assists against Tennessee.
Selected 46th overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2025 NBA Draft and immediately traded to the Celtics, Williams ultimately inked a two-way deal with Boston on August 15.