Hornets Grant Williams out for season with torn ACL

Grant Williams’ season is over.The Charlotte Hornets big man and ex-Boston Celtic has a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the 2024-25 season, ESPN reports.

Williams had been starting at center in recent games ami- IaQHBmypd injuries to Mark Williams — who has yet to debut this season — and Nick Richards.Williams tore his ACL on this play during what became a Hornets loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.Williams’ season ends with averages of 10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest through 16 games this season, of which he started seven.

The Hornets forward had elevated to 12.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game with 1.2 blocks and 1.1 steals per contest over his last nine games.Williams had initially left the Celtics to join the Dallas Mavericks in free agency last season but was included in a trade deadline deal where he moved to Charlotte in February, and finished out the season with the Hornets.After leaving Boston, his former team went on to be the 2024 NBA Champions.

Williams previously said there is no “bad blood” between him and the Celtics, but an eventual seemingly intentional run-in with Jayson Tatum that Jaylen Brown called a “football play,” seemed to say otherwise.The former Tennessee Volunteer is in his second year of a four-year, $53 million deal, which is fully guaranteed and will see him net $13 million this year.

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