Marcus Smart of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts as he is fouled by LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets in front of Ryan Kalkbrenner during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Harry How Getty Images
During the months leading up to a return, Grant Williams was in an unfamiliar place.
Recalling the year-plus journey rehabilitating a torn right ACL is what kept the Charlotte Hornets big man beaming internally even on the toughest of days, which are finally behind him.
“A sport that you play your entire life and you stop playing randomly, it really kind of just throws your world, kind of flips it around,” Williams told The Charlotte Observer on Thursday, “because you’re like, ‘Dang.’ You’re prepared for taking a break or stopping. When you have no idea when something like that was going to happen, it’s like, ‘Dang.’ A different experience.”
“So when I got back, I just overflowed with joy and I was excited to compete again with my teammates and get back to doing things that I love.”
That continued in the Hornets’ 135-117 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday, with Williams coming off the bench for the third straight game since officially shedding street clothes in Charlotte’s road-trip opening victory in Utah. Williams has quickly been reintegrated as a key piece, recording nearly half of his 13 minutes against Los Angeles during the fourth quarter, taking on the assignment of guarding Lakers star LeBron James.
Kobe Bufkin of the Los Angeles Lakers drives past LaMelo Ball #1 of the Charlotte Hornets during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Harry How Getty Images
He had a role in helping the Hornets nab their eighth victory in their last 16 games, a sign they could finally be coming together as the team gets healthier. In dismantling the Lakers, Charlotte (15-25) rode a steady performance highlighted by four of five starters posting at least 19 points., creating opportunity after opportunity.
“It’s great,” said star guard LaMelo Ball, who set the tone with 30 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. “When everybody is playing like that, it’s just a free flow state. We all just make all of our jobs easier.”
Williams is being shoehorned into a rotation that’s suddenly getting more crowded, providing coach Charles Lee with a good problem in the health department for once. The Hornets have been thin on their front line for good stretches of the season, causing Lee to shuffle in Tidjane Salaun at reserve center on occasion, and it’s an area getting bulked up with Williams in the mix again along with rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner shaking off an elbow injury that sidelined him for 10 games.
Extra options means there may be times when a player’s ego must be checked at the door, keeping things as harmonious as possible. An ongoing dialogue between everyone — like what happened a week ago with managing Ball’s minutes in back-to-backs — is a necessity for the betterment of the team.
“I think what you realize is everyone’s competitive, everybody wants to play at the highest level, everyone wants to be involved,” Williams said. “But as a group we just have to understand that sometimes it’s someone else’s night, sometimes you just have to be there to support. Because as a group, we’re doing all we can to win. And so is Coach. So, Coach is going to put us in the best position.
“I think that in the moment, some people say agree to disagree. No, it’s called disagree and commit. So, if we disagree, that’s fine. But we’re committed to this for each other as a group, and we’re going to move forward with that.”
Just having Williams back in the fold is a boost to a team that could use something to help springboard itself in the right direction and eliminate the constant yo-yo effect that’s troubled the Hornets during the 2025-26 campaign.
Logging his seventh season in the NBA and third with the franchise he grew up rooting for, the Providence Day product provides Lee with much more than what shows up in the box score. He is a pseudo coach at times, lending an eye and ear to what he’s witnessing or doing what he can to inject a veteran’s perspective.
Now, instead of doing it from the sidelines like he did while injured and on the mend, he can go back to offering up that knowledge on the floor in real time.
“It makes it a lot easier just because you’re involved with the guys again,” said Williams, who’s averaging 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds through his three outings. “When things happen on the court, you’re actually a part of it. So, you can speak on it rather than seeing it from the eyes, being like, ‘Yeah, this is what I’m seeing. ‘You can actually speak forwardly rather than kind of being passive and allowing things to happen when people ask you advice.
“So, it’s a little mix of balance, understanding when to speak versus when to continue to just listen and add in your point when someone comes to approach you. But honestly, it’s been really refreshing just being able to have those conversations.”
Grant Williams of the Charlotte Hornets grabs a rebound in front of Gabe Vincent and Rui Hachimura of the Los Angeles Lakers during Charlotte’s 135-117 Hornets win at Crypto.com Arena. Harry How Getty Images
Especially since confidence-wise, he’s in a good place. Even after the lengthy layoff.
“I’m limited (with minutes) right now,” Williams said, “but at the same time I’m playing against those best players and shows that I still have it a little bit. I feel like I’ve performed. I still have to get better at defensively being more locked in from a chasing perspective, not being behind actions and being more physical in the action.
“And just from my own standard, I see myself as a great defender and (want) to get back to that. So, obviously, those are the things that I’ve noticed. Outside of that, I think I’ve shot the ball with confidence, defended with confidence. Now it’s just a matter of doing all the extracurricular energy things.”
Williams is apparently somewhat prophetic because he said he knew he’d fire an air ball even before he uncorked his first jumper in Utah upon returning to game action. Adrenaline, anxiety and other emotions bubbled up inside of him.
That’s over with, though. The hard part is in the rearview mirror and Williams can focus on the main task at hand.
“Nerves, you’re worried about whether you’re going to be prepared to play at the highest level, at the competitive level,” Williams said. “Because you can warm up with the 5-on-5 and do all those things, but then you get to the actual game situation, people have to think like, ‘Ok, I’m prepared for this.’ And you know what? I over prepared for it. So, I feel great about where I am now.”
And in turn that’s kind of on the same parallel as how Williams views the Hornets’ plight. While the season hasn’t gone quite as they’d hoped, the future remains bright in his estimation.
Patience will be key.
“We’re knocking on the door,” Williams said. “Now, it’s about opening it and staying in there. We keep cracking it. Now it’s walk in and enjoy the party rather than cracking it, peeking in, and seeing if we’re allowed to come in and then stepping back outside.”