“Grant wants to be called Batman” - Jayson Tatum reveals his teammate’s hilarious and strange wish

Grant Williams, the Boston Celtics' self-proclaimed "Batman," has given his team a much-needed lift this season. [Photo: Hoops Habit]

The Boston Celtics, with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the way, have been clobbering opponents since the turn of the year. Only the Phoenix Suns have a better record than the Cs since January. From the 9th seed in the stacked Eastern Conference, they have bolted to 4th in the standings, just 3.5 games from the top-seeded Miami Heat.

The Celtics’ exciting emergence is not all about Tatum and Brown, though. A few Cs like Grant Williams have made significant improvements in their game that make the Celtics deeper and more versatile. Williams’ evolution, which was perfectly shown in the Celtics’ win over the Denver Nuggets, has made him such an integral part of the team.

Jayson Tatum, in a postgame interview after the Celtics’ victory over the Nuggets, revealed the nickname that Grant Williams wants to be known for (via Keith Smith):

“Grant wants his nickname to be…(laughs) I can’t understand why Grant wants to be called Batman. I’m gonna ask him when I get on the bus. Grant played great tonight, but I’m gonna call him Grant. I’m not calling him no damn Batman.”

Jayson Tatum: "Grant wants his nickname to be...(laughs) I can't understand why Grant wants to be called Batman. I'm gonna ask him when I get on the bus. Grant played great tonight, but I'm gonna call him Grant. I'm not calling him no damn Batman."

Batman, of course, is a legendary DC comic character who terrorizes the shadowy villains of the make-believe city of Gotham. The mysterious superhero is the nemesis of "The Joker," which happens to be the nickname of reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. Williams held his own on defense and helped stifle Jokic to 8-23 shooting, the worst shooting night of his career in three years.

After the Serbian superstar's hot first-quarter, Grant Williams, Robert Williams III and Al Horford proceeded to slow down Jokic the rest of the way. Following his 12 points in the initial 12 minutes of the game, "The Joker" would add only 11 the rest of the way. The Celtics' physicality, precise rotation and Batman's presence eventually wore down the Nuggets' best player.

In the MVP’s house, the MVP chants were for Tatum.
Grant Williams said he wants to be called Batman, because he helped slow Joker.
Most important, the night ended with another Cs romp.

“We’ve still got a lot of improvement, so don’t — yeah, just wait.”
bostonglobe.com/2022/03/20/spo…

Grant Williams’ defense has always been quite good, but it is his deadly shooting that has made the Celtics more fearsome. The three-year player is averaging 42.5% from long-distance this season, which is a big jump from last year’s 37.2% average. The way he is shooting right now, compared to his 25% average in his rookie season, is unbelievable.

Grant Williams will continue to make life easier for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown

Grant Williams' defense and shooting has made Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown proud. [Photo: Forbes]

Grant Williams is third in the NBA in three-point shooting. His shooting is a perfect complement to Jayson Tatum's blossoming playmaking and scoring brilliance. No evidence suggests Williams can’t take this form into the postseason, which will continue to make the Celtics more difficult to contain.

The Boston Celtics’ backup big man is also expanding his game, considering how much opposing teams are now trying to run him off beyond the arc. He is terrific driving to the lane for layups and pull-up jumpers. Williams is deceptively quick and has shown solid handles when moving into the heart of the defense.

It'd be hilarious watching Grant Williams explain to Jayson Tatum the Batman - Nikola Jokic (Joker) connection... twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA/…

All of these improvements in his game will give more breathing room for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to operate. Boston’s current form is not a fluke, and teams are finding out how tough they are with “Batman” on board.