Celtics call Amari Williams 'one of the best passing big men in college'

The Celtics were in the on-deck circle, waiting for the Suns to make their move to open the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft. When Phoenix selected Rasheer Fleming of Saint Joseph’s at No. 31, Boston opted to trade down from No. 32, acquiring picks 46 and 57 with two future seconds coming from Orlando. The reason? They liked the talent that would be available in that range while also adding future assets.

“When we looked at the guys that we could get a little bit further down this year, we thought it was not so much different from 32 that we wouldn’t take these future assets that would also be useful for us,” Celtics vice president of basketball operations Mike Zarren said.

The player in mind? None other than Kentucky‘s Amari Williams, who Boston quickly selected at No. 46. The Celtics then added VCU guard Max Shulga to wrap things up at No. 57.

“These are two really good players. You never know how well guys will play in the NBA for guys taken in the second round, but both these guys have been very successful where they’ve been. … We’ve been watching both of these guys for a long time,” Zarren continued. “They had long college careers and have been very, very successful players everywhere they’ve been. So, we’ll see how they do at the next level, but they’re just really, really successful, winning college players.”

Shulga is a 6-5 sniper who shot 39.2 percent from three over 162 career games in college — but that’s not why you’re here, other than the fact that Boston called him a “really successful, winning” player with Williams.

When it comes to the Kentucky standout specifically, the Celtics were over the moon to bring in a truly elite passing big man whose game is a perfect fit in today’s NBA — a “point-center,” as Mark Pope calls him.

No second-round pick is a guarantee, obviously, but they feel they have a fairly safe bet in the 7-foot, 262-pound big man from England.

“Amari, he’s been one of the best passing big men in college for a long time,” Zarren said of the former Wildcat. “He’s an elite rebounder. He’s a great guy. He had a wonderful career at Drexel and then stepped it up another level at Kentucky.

‘When you meet him, you’ll see he’s got just an enormous, enormous wingspan. And as you’ll see on the court, if you haven’t seen already, he’s got incredible vision. And those things are just key abilities in the modern NBA.”

Boston’s offense is free-flowing, designed to create open looks for shooters. That’s where Williams comes in as a player you can trust to facilitate no matter where he plays on the floor.

Mike Zarren on Amari Williams:

"He's one of the best passing big men in college for a long time. He’s an elite rebounder… When you meet him, you'll see he’s got just has an enormous, enormous wingspan. And you’ll see on the court, he’s got incredible vision."

(Q via… pic.twitter.com/1DFfYutdZj

— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) June 27, 2025

“Your big guys have to be able to do all sorts of things,” Zarren continued. “Sometimes we play through big guys at the post, with the guys we have had on our roster, and Amari should fit into that pretty well.”

As the Celtics pointed out Friday, Williams is just the second player in SEC history to put up 375-plus points, 300-plus rebounds, 100-plus assists, 40-plus blocks and 20-plus steals in a single season.

Amari is the second player in @SEC history to record these totals in a single season 👀

375+ PTS
300+ REB
100+ AST
40+ BLK
20+ STL pic.twitter.com/1eugXdyu0s

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) June 27, 2025

Now, he’s taking that production to the NBA — and Boston, more specifically.