Celtics Sign Playmaking Big Man to Two-Way Contract

The Boston Celtics have officially signed Amari Williams to a two-way contract. Williams was selected with the 46th pick in the 2025 NBA draft. He is the final member of Boston’s 2025 draft class to ink a deal with the franchise.

The Celtics have now filled all three of their two-way contracts. Williams will join fellow draftee Max Shulga, along with the recently acquired RJ Luis. First-round selection Hugo Gonzalez has signed a full-scale NBA deal with Boston, but could still spend some time with the Maine Celtics of the G League at points throughout the upcoming season.

Williams brings a unique skill set to the Celtics rotation. He’s arguably the best passing big man of his draft class and has a good range of passing and playmaking talent. During his tenure at Kentucky, he was also entrusted with bringing the ball up the court and initiating plays, although that is unlikely to translate to the NBA level.

The Celtics rookie is a five-year collegiate product. He spent four seasons at Drexel before moving to Kentucky for last season. During his collegiate career, he averaged 10.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and two assists per game, shooting a 53.3 effective field goal percentage.

Celtics Waived Miles Norris To Make Room

On August 10, the Celtics waived sharpshooter Miles Norris, who was signed to the franchise on a two-way contract. The move created an open two-way spot, which in turn gave Boston the room it needed to add Williams to the roster for the upcoming season.

Norris played in eight games for the Maine Celtics after joining midway through the 2024-25 season. In those outings, he averaged 14.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He shot the rock at a 39.3% clip from. deep on 7.6 attempts per game. Unfortunately for Norris, it doesn’t appear that he did enough to convince a retooling Celtics that he could make a difference in the upcoming season.

Williams Could Earn Minutes This Season

Williams has landed in a favorable position. The Celtics front court is considerably weaker than in recent years. Currently, Neemias Queta projects as the starting center, while Luka Garza is viewed as the primary backup. Therefore, there are minutes up for grabs, especially if Garza or Queta struggle out of the gate.

Boston is also weak at the power forward position, with Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman the two primary rotation guys at that position. If Williams can prove that he can maximize his playmaking and screening ability to thrive as a non-shooting big on the perimeter, Joe Mazzulla may give him an opportunity to cement himself in the rotation.

However, the first step must be proving himself in the G League and developing some of the weaker points in his game. Currently, Williams projects as a player who must improve his defense. His foot speed is slow, and he struggles when changing direction against quicker, more explosive opponents.

He needs to learn how to manage his angles better and use his length as a deterrent. If he can do those things, he may find himself as part of the Celtics rotation before the end of the season. Of course, that’s still a long shot, but it isn’t outside the realm of possibility.