Grant Williams talks first game back, details how the Charlotte Hornets can keep it rolling after blowout win

It didn't take long for Grant Williams to make an impact when he returned to the court after a 400+ day absence.

The veteran forward checked into the game with 5:16 remaining in the first quarter, and within three minutes of game time, Williams cashed a pair of three-point shots and hauled in two offensive rebounds.

He played 14 minutes in the blowout, operating as the back up power forward behind Miles Bridges, and looked much like the hooper who was playing some of the best basketball of his career in November of 2024 when he suffered a gruesome knee injury.

Following Charlotte's 150-95 victory, Williams talked about his return to play.

Williams talks about his return

"It felt great, honestly" said Williams when asked about his first game action of the season. "The group was very welcoming. It was a good flow of the game, especially a game like that when you're beating a team the way we were, but it was definitely a little nerves and anxious anxiety from the start."

"But then, as the game settled in, so did those."

Williams finished the game with nine points and eight rebounds (four of them offensive) as Charlotte won his 14 minutes on the floor by a whopping 31 points.

Saturday night was the beginning of a five-game road trip for the Bugs, and Williams discussed what it's going to take for Charlotte to roll the momentum from Utah forward.

"It starts with the communication we had on defense. Tightening up that side of the ball fully before we play a talented team like the Clippers with Kawhi and James. And then offensively, just keep playing with pace. That's what we do. Play fast, continue to trust the pass, continue to just encourage each other, because we got a lot of great looks tonight, and we're going to continue to have a lot of great looks throughout the rest of the season. Just have to continue to knock them down."

'The Mayor,' was a welcome addition to a Hornets' bench that is as healthy as they've been in quite some time. Charlotte has treaded water for the majority of the season, playing solid basketball even without their full complement of players, but now is their time to hit the gas.