Speaking with the media in the aftermath of his team’s third-round series loss to the Heat, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens acknowledged that his team took its lumps physically over the course of the playoffs.

And this weekend saw the Celtics provide their first medical update of the offseason, with the team providing a note on forward Grant Williams.

• “Grant Williams today underwent successful surgery to repair a tear of the radial collateral ligament of the third metacarpo-phalangeal joint on his left hand,” the Celtics said in an official release on June 9. “He is expected to make a full return to basketball activities in six to eight weeks.”

  For those looking for a more simplified explanation, the 24-year-old Williams underwent a procedure to fix a torn ligament in the middle finger of his left hand.

• 

  May 19, 2022; Miami, Florida, USA; Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives to the basket between Celtics center Al Horford (42) and forward Grant Williams (12) in Game 2 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals at FTX Arena. (Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports)

• One of Boston’s most versatile bench options, the 6-foot-6 Williams averaged 5.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in 17 minutes per night during his 15-game playoff run for the Celtics in 2023.

  The usage was a definite step back from Williams’ 2022 run with the Celtics, but Williams did have greater success from deep, with connections on 18 of his 40 tries from beyond the arc (45 percent).

  But any and all of that production was outweighed by the fourth-year pro’s decision to ‘poke the bear’ and go face-to-face with Jimmy Butler in the final moments of Boston’s Game 2 showdown with Miami.

  Face-to-face with Butler and trying to get under his skin, the attempt clearly backfired on Williams and the Celtics, as Butler and the Heat would absolutely blow doors off the Celtics and take a 2-0 series lead in what would eventually be a seven-game series victory for Miami.

• 

  BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 19: Jimmy Butler exchanges words with Grant Williams during the fourth quarter in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 19, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

• "Did Grant Williams make a mistake poking the bear with Jimmy Butler?"
  
  Jaylen Brown: "Next Question." pic.twitter.com/IUqLAS3MMq

  — NBA TV (@NBATV) May 20, 2023

• Prior to his hot-and-cold postseason, Williams established some individual highs for the Celtics in 2022-23, with career-best averages in points (8.1), rebounds (4.6), assists (1.7), and minutes (25.9) per game.

  Williams also put up what was a career-high 25 points in a Jan. 21 win over the Raptors, and finished the season with three double-doubles to his name.

  What happens with Williams will be one of the more interesting storylines of the Celtics’ offseason, too, as he is a pending restricted free agent and could be looking for big money from a Celtic front office that already has two big contracts on their minds, beginning with Jaylen Brown.

  A first-round pick in 2019, Williams has spent his entire 288-game NBA career with the C’s.

• 

  PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – MAY 05: Grant Williams #12 of the Boston Celtics fouls Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the third quarter in game three of the Eastern Conference Second Round Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on May 05, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

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