Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield battle on the NBA stage
As Rick Barnes grew Tennessee into the basketball program we know it as today, he got help from a pair of generational players to help right the ship.
Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield formed a dynamic duo for the Vols as they climbed the SEC and national rankings. The pair led Tennessee to a No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll, an SEC Regular Season title and a Sweet 16 appearance.
Individually, Williams proved to be one of the top players in the country, earning back-to-back SEC Player of the Year (coaches) honors and a spot as a consensus First-Team All-American in 2019. He scored a career-high 43 points against Vanderbilt and was the SEC's scoring champion at 18.8 points per game while additionally earning 7.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in his third and final year on Rocky Top.
Schofield didn't earn the hardware Williams did, but his impact was still undeniable. He spent four years in Knoxville while helping turn the program around. In his final season, he averaged 16.5 points per game along with 6.1 rebounds and two assists. This earned him All-SEC First Team (coaches) honors.
After the 2018-19 season ended in an overtime loss to Purdue in the Sweet 16, both Williams and Schofield entered the NBA Draft. Williams would be selected with the 22nd pick by the Celtics and Schofield was picked with the 42nd pick by the Wizards.
Since then, Williams has stayed with Boston while earning a starting role on a contending team. He even played valuable minutes in the 2022 NBA Finals. On the other hand, Schofield has bounced around the league, spending time in the NBA and G-League. Now, he is a member of the Magic where he's begun to carve out a role.
On Sunday night, Boston and Orlando met at TD Garden for the second time in three days - pitting the two former Tennessee stars against each other. In the first matchup, both players had average games. However, in the second battle, they both exceeded in their roles.
Heading into the game, Williams was averaging 9.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists. In Sunday's affair, he exceeded those marks by recording 14 points, six rebounds and three assists while starting. This positive play resulted in a +/- of +4 during 31 minutes of action.
For Schofield, he has struggled to find consistent playing time. Despite this, he made the most of his time on the floor vs. the Celtics. In 17 minutes of play on Sunday, he tied his season-high of 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field including two made 3-pointers. He also added four rebounds. Both of these marks improve his averages of 4.5 points and 1.7 rebounds per game on the season.
Although Williams put together better performances in the pair of matchups, Schofield leaves with the last laugh. The Magic beat the Celtics in both affairs including a 95-92 win on Sunday.
Williams and Schofield are scheduled to meet one more time this season. Boston will travel to Orlando on Jan. 23 in the teams' final face-off of the season. However, with more former Vols joining the NBA each season, these battles between alumni are becoming increasingly common.
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