Charlotte Hornets' Grant Williams discusses his youth basketball camp, emphasizing the importance of giving back to the community and connecting with kids. He reflects on his own experience with NBA players like Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson and how they inspired him. By DIAMOND VENCES
Inside a familiar environment, even as the wet weather outside the gymnasium made things somewhat miserable, Grant Williams is at home.
And in more ways than one.
Looking sleeker than the 6-foot-6, 235 pound frame he was listed at a year ago, the Charlotte Hornets big man saunters onto the court at Providence Day School, towering over dozens of individuals who probably think he’s taller than the Bank of America building.
Faces light up when the Charlotte native and graduate of Providence Day offers some final instructions on the first day of the third annual Grant Williams Family Foundation Basketball Camp, and it’s something the 26-year-old doesn’t take for granted.
“Absolutely,” Williams told The Observer on Tuesday. “The No. 1 thing I always talked about when I was growing up was Kemba Walker and Gerald Anderson, two guys that I went to the Bobcats basketball camps and they were just so available, they were so welcoming. They had a great conversation with me and it reminded me of what type of player I wanted to be if I got to that point one day.
“So, the camp allows me to do that, to have that same connection with the kids and hopefully, who knows, maybe play with one of them like I was able to play with Kemba. When I was a rookie, he was my vet, so I look back to that moment like it was yesterday and I’m just thankful to be able to not only have good vets like that, but also be the hopefully same guiding light for a kid like in a situation that was like my own.”
Williams even treated them to a special guest, someone who, in a sense, was in their very sneakers not that long ago: Liam McNeeley.
The presence of the Hornets rookie is one thing. How it came about is another.
“Honestly, it was so special,” Williams said. “Liam actually offered himself. I was talking about my basketball camp and Liam said, ‘Hey, can I come by?’ I was like, ‘Absolutely.’ And he’s one of the best rookies to this point, in terms of not only his demeanor but how he’s communicated with others. I think that he’s just really excited about being a part of this organization.
“I’m super excited to have him here, and hopefully I’ll continue to compete with him and win something this year, make an impact. Because as you see, the Hornets are making an environmental shift. We are trying to make our organizational change to not only make our organization better but the play itself better. And I think that the players that we added in Liam and all the other rookies will help us do that.”
Grant Williams is holding the third annual Grant Williams Family Foundation Basketball Camp at Providence Day School this week. Roderick Boone roboone@charlotteobserver.com
Akin to how Williams wants to continue giving to the community that served as a springboard to his path to play at Tennessee prior to realizing his NBA dream.
“The Grant Williams Foundation, one of our principles is we use athletics to bring communities together, especially certain communities,” he said. “So, you not only have the resources here at Providence Day, but also the mix of both the communities so that we can get to know one another and not only spend time but also collaborate, compete and have a good time.
“Because basketball is a sport that connects the world and it’s super exciting to be a part of.”
Williams is still making incremental progress rehabilitatating the right ACL he tore in November. He spoke with The Observer about a number of topics, including how his rehabilitation is going, the team’s offseason moves, LaMelo Ball, rookies Kon Knueppel, Sion James, Ryan Kalkbrenner and McNeeley, coach Charles Lee and more.
Roderick Boone: The roster looks a little different than it did a couple of months ago. How do you characterize the team’s offseason moves?
Grant Willams: I feel like we got a lot more athletic, we added a lot more depth in terms of not only just top to bottom but position by position. We’ve got a lot more guards, a lot more scoring potential, a lot more fast play potential, We have bigs like Mason (Plumlee) and Moussa (Diabate) that can really run the floor. We have a guy like Ryan that can really protect the paint, also space the floor. I’ve seen him shoot it and he shoots it well. So, it’s just super exciting to have that versatility, in terms of the team.
And then in terms of the wings and guard play, we have so much more potency. We have Collin Sexton, Tre Mann, Josh Green when he gets healthy, myself when I get healthy. You have Miles (Bridges), Kon. Geez, you could go down the line with a lot of names that we can add, so we are just super excited not only about the scoring potential but the ability to compete at a high level every single night even when guys are out.
RB: Looks like you are in good shape? How are you feeling physically?
GW: I feel great, physically just taking it one day at a time. Rehab is a pretty slow process. There can be good days and bad days, but fortunately, I’m in a position now where I’m getting back on the court in some capacity. Not necessarily there for contact yet, but in terms of (being) able to perform and work out, that’s something I think brings serenity — shooting the ball well, talk trash. So I’m trying to still find better shooters in the gym to compete against.
I started with the coaches and I added a video guy and all these guys. And now today it was (another) and I beat him. and I was like, ‘See, now I’ve got to go take the next steps. Who’s next?’ So, we’ll see if it’s Kon or one of the other guys, because Seth Curry always brought the best out of me when we competed in shooting competitions last year. So, I think Kon will be my guy this year.
RB: How do you balance coming back with not trying to do it too early?
GW: I think that’s the benefit of what our team did this summer. They are not forcing me to come back super early. They are not rushing me back. They understand that there might be a little bit of time for me to get back and get my feet wet into the game. So, I’m thankful for not only the opportunity to have that freedom to come back and get comfortable and be myself again, but also for me, it’s a matter of making sure I can play for a long time, the health and longevity of my career to make sure I can help this team compete at a high level for a long couple of years.
Because if I came back and try to rush it and try to make it all this year, it might work out well. But if we are not ready to go again or the year after that, then what’s the point? And I think the exciting thing about having the depth that we have is there’s no pressure to come back soon.
RB: How do you see the organization shifting with the new performance center, arena renovations and new ownership?
GW: The word would be investment. They are investing in the community, they are investing into the organization for our practice faculty. We have a whole new arena. We are investing into the fans to make sure their experience is the best experience they can possibly have in this city. So, I’m super excited because ownership really cares and they want to make sure we are the best team we can be and it’s not limited by them.
They want to make sure they give us everything they possibly can so that way the excuse is on nobody but our own. So, we’ve got to do our job as players to continue to improve and continue to develop. And I think that we will answer the call when it’s all said and done.
RB: What are your thoughts on the rookies?
GW: They honestly are some great individuals. They are very, very welcoming. They are very goofy also, I would say, but also they are young so they are fresh behind the ears. They don’t really know what’s coming, so just being able to communicate to them what to expect and what we want as an organization want to establish, in terms of our crucial pillars and how we want to play, how we want to communicate with one another.
And really they’ve just been with open ears and been very, very open. They haven’t really shut anything down and I think they are approaching everything with the right approach going into the season.
Grant Williams is holding the third annual Grant Williams Family Foundation Basketball Camp at Providence Day School this week. Roderick Boone roboone@charlotteobserver.com
RB: Can you explain what you’ve seen from coach Charles Lee and the team-first mentality he’s attempting to bring to Charlotte?
GW: He understands that it’s got to come down to the team. It’s not one person and understanding the value of having every person — from the top guy to the 17th,18th guy on the roster. Each person is important, and he treats everybody as that and he treats them (that way) to not only bring out the best out of you, but bring the best out of the group. And I think that’s what comes from that team-first mentality, is understanding that even if it might not be your night that night, that doesn’t mean we lost any confidence in you.
It just means it might have that other person’s opportunity. And don’t take that as a slight to you, take that as an opportunity to understand that this person is valuable for us and just as valuable as myself. And not to take that personally, more so to say it might be my night tomorrow or the day after, and understanding with that team-first mentality it’s the best way for our team to win.
RB: What have you witnessed from LaMelo this offseason as taking a step forward as a leader on and off the court?
GW: He’s doing a lot of things that bring value. Not only his voice, but just his approach. He’s in there every single day. He’s there and present and I think is somebody we can look to and see like, ‘He’s actually putting the work in every single day, not this person who is away from us and claims to be doing the work.’ No, he’s doing it every single day. He’s doing every single workout, he’s being available.
Not only just from a like, ‘Hey, let’s go do this.’ If maybe we do a mini camp, ‘Let’s organize this, I’ll take care of these guys, I’ll do this.’ So, he’s being very, very welcoming in a sense of as a leader and understanding that he’s going to have to take it to a more mature step in his role in order for us to be the best team possible.
RB: How can Collin help him out?
GW: His intensity, I think, will help him out, because his seriousness, his pressure, and his ability to not only take the scoring load off him will also be very valuable. Because now LaMelo doesn’t have to force these shots, because he has a guy like Tre Mann, he has a guy like Collin, he has some guys that can really offload that scoring opportunity but also give him a break.
Because his minutes, high intensity, now you have a chance to be more impactful in a short amount of time rather than have to play these overextended minutes and lose your focus or ability.