Joe Mazzulla explains why Grant Williams was benched vs. Cavaliers

BOSTON -- There was a bit of somewhat shocking news from Wednesday night's Celtics' win over the Cavaliers, and it wasn't just that the Celtics had finally beaten the Cavs after failing in their first two tries this season.

The surprise came from who was not involved in the victory. Grant Williams, who has become a pretty important piece of Boston's rotation over the last four years, logged a DNP-Coach's Decision. 

Considering Williams has averaged a career-high 27.3 minutes per game this season, it was a little shocking to see him ride the pine during such an important game for Boston. But Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla had a simple explanation for it.

"Just matchups on the offensive end as far as spacing the floor and having rim protection," Mazzulla said after the win. "When Mike [Muscala] was in, we were able to play a different defensive lineup. Didn't want to switch these guys that much in that second unit."

In terms of rim protection, Robert Williams played 31 minutes for Boston. He pulled down 11 rebounds and blocked a pair of shots (changing a handful of others at the rim) and contributed 11 points. Elsewhere, Muscala and Sam Hauser combined for 20 minutes of action, accounting for the bulk of the time Grant Williams would have played.

It seemed like Williams' service would have been needed early on, when Al Horford picked up some early fouls, but it wasn't in the cards. Horford, who played 33 minutes on Wednesday, ended the night with 23 points and 11 boards in the win.

Williams has seen a decrease in playing time recently, logging 20 minutes or less in four of Boston's last five games. He played 29 minutes against the 76ers on Saturday, but just six minutes in an overtime win over the Pacers last Thursday. In Monday night's loss to the Knicks, he played just 16 minutes.

He's also been in a bit of a slump. Since his 12-point, 10-rebound showing against the Bucks two weeks ago -- which was Grant's second straight double-double -- Williams had scored just 17 points off 5-for-16 shooting. 

Wednesday night could have been a bit of a wake-up call for Williams as well. He knows his role on the team, but occasionally will try to do too much. The Celtics are better off when Grant is being Grant -- a versatile defender who can knock down some threes -- and not trying to imitate the league's superstar players. 

He's not in danger of losing his spot in the rotation, because he remains the best option for the Celtics on most nights. Muscala hasn't done much to take it from him since arriving at the trade deadline, and as frustrating as Grant can be at times, he's still a solid defender who can take advantage of the open looks he gets when he shares the floor with Boston's stars.

The Celtics' depth is a major part of why they are one of the best teams in the league, and Grant Williams is a big part of that depth. Chances are he'll be back in the Boston rotation in the near future, refreshed and refocused after Wednesday night's benching.