Grant Williams went from one set of All-Stars to another when he joined the Mavs

ORLANDO — As Grant Williams was leaving Boston Celtics All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown over the summer to join forces with Mavericks All-Stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, coach Jason Kidd wanted to assure Williams he was in good hands.

Kidd’s selling point to Williams?

“I think just talking to him about Luka is a different guy, Kai is a different guy, and that’s nothing against Tatum and Brown,” Kidd said. “But Luka is going to produce a lot of wide-open shots for you and (Williams is) getting a lot of wide-open shots, and he’s shooting the ball at a high clip.

“No matter who it is as a teammate with Luka or Kai, you’re going to get wide-open looks. It’s just being consistent and being able to knock them down.”

Williams knocked down eight quick points Monday night during the Mavs’ 117-102 win over the Orlando Magic. He finished with 13 points on 5-of-9 shots in 33 minutes.

Last year with the Celtics, Williams averaged 8.1 points in 25.9 minutes. So far this year he’s averaging 15.5 points in 31.7 minutes.

“His minutes are probably up, but he’s playing at a high level,” Kidd said. “His voice has been heard and (is) consistent, and we need that and he’s doing a great job for us.”

Williams’ solid play has gotten the attention of Magic coach Jamahl Mosley.

“(He’s bringing) the same thing that he brought in Boston, which was that toughness, that grit,” Mosley said. “You see him talking on film a ton to guys.

“Obviously his corner threes are a problem for us. I just think he does a great job of settling them down in so many ways of being able to know where he’s going to be on the floor. Just a consistent shooter. I think that’s really big for them.”

LIVELY MAKING HUGE STRIDES: Mavs rookie center posted a pair of double-doubles in his team’s first six games. And his quick success hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“He wants to be great,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “He works extremely hard. He’s learning. He’s not afraid in that locker room to speak.

“If he has not played well, he’s someone that you can talk to and communicate to.”

And that bodes well for Lively.

“I think in this small sample size he’s doing everything that we thought when we drafted him — being able to roll, being able to be the anchor of that defense,” Kidd said. “And he’s going to grow into that.

“He’s going to have some ups and he’s going to have some downs. That’s just a rookie. But up to this point he’s doing everything that we’ve asked him to do.”

Magic coach Jamahl Mosley believes he knows why Lively has enjoyed some measure of success so fast.

“He’s probably taken so much lessons from (backup center) Dwight Powell,” Mosley said. “I think being a rim presence and a lob threat is such a big piece of their team because of the three-point shooting.

“He just plays his role with a high level of energy and that’s all you can ask for at this moment.”

MOSLEY ON DONCIC: Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley was an assistant coach with the Mavs from 2014-21. That includes the first three years guard Luka Doncic was with the Mavs  — 2018-21 – before Mosley became the Magic’s coach in 2021.

So, in the eyes of Mosley, in what ways has Doncic grown as a player since his days coaching him with the Mavs?

“Watching some of the tapes, his communication,” Mosley said. “I see how much he’s talking, I see him and (Kyrie Irving) communicating with one another about certain situations in the game, what they see, how they can manipulate the defense.

“(I see) his willingness to make the certain pass an easy pass in game crunch time game situations. He’s always been willing to do that, but now you see it even more-so in putting guys in position to be successful.”

BRIEFLY: Maxi Kleber missed Monday’s game with a right small toe dislocation. It’s the third straight game Kleber has missed with the same injury. . .Magic coach Jamahl Mosley played college basketball at Colorado from 1997-2001. So, needless to say he’s thrilled with all the attention coach Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has brought to the Buffaloes’ program and to the university. “I love it,” Mosley said. “I absolutely love it. I think it’s so fantastic for a group of young men that are trying to establish what they’re going to be in the future, and he believes in them. And he’s bringing a style of play, but also a belief system that allows these young men to believe in what they’re capable of doing.” Mosley was a Big 12 third-team selection with the Buffaloes in 2000. . .In Orlando, Mavs assistant coach Darrell Armstrong is a certified legend. Armstrong was very popular in the Orlando community and with the fans when he played for the Magic from 1995-2003. Armstrong is ranked in the top 10 in several of the Magic’s all-time statistical categories. In the 1998-99 season, Armstrong won the NBA’s Sixth Man Award and the league’s Most Improved Player award. He is the first NBA player to ever win both of those awards in the same season. The Magic honored Armstrong at the conclusion of the first quarter with a No. 10 jersey.

X: @DwainPrice