Troy Williams: Could he go from long-shot to sure thing?
Signing with the Memphis Grizzlies after a strong Summer League showing, Troy Williams seemed like a long shot to make the roster. He had several things going against him, but word on the street is he may be more of a sure thing.
When the Memphis Grizzlies signed Troy Williams this summer, it was to give the kid a chance. Being on a non-guaranteed contract, there was no harm in bringing him in and giving him a shot. To make the roster, he would have to beat out D.J. Stephens and Wayne Selden, which many of us thought would be hard for the forward to do.
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“Grit n Grind” material?
The high-flying forward averaged close to 10 rebounds per game at Indiana. Williams also has a solid 3-point stroke, shooting 36 percent from deep his last two seasons in college. Williams carried that over to the summer league where he averaged 12.3 points per game and had a nose for the ball on defense, averaging 1.7 steals per game. To go along with his scoring and defense he averaged a 23.1 PER. Which was higher than Cameron Payne, K.J. McDaniels and Jaylen Brown, the No. 3 overall pick in this years draft, to name a few.
He has flashed all the skills necessary to succeed in NBA, if only he could put it all together consistently. On the court the one thing he has always done consistently is play hard. Whether it’s diving for loose balls or running back on defense, he always does whatever it takes to win. Sure sounds like a ‘Grit n Grind,’ doesn’t it?
Should he stay or should he go?
Word around the Grizzlies organization is Williams has impressed, which leaves the Memphis with a tough decision on its hands. With a roster that is practically full, they must decide who they want to keep and who they would rather let go.
With David Fizdale coming in, we don’t have a real idea of what style offense he is going to run despite rumors. Should he want to go more up-tempo and younger, you could see Vince Carter be waived, being that his contract isn’t fully guaranteed. Or they could want to add more 3-point shooting, and being that Jamychal Green is in the same position as Carter contract-wise, they could look to cut him as well. Though it’s very unlikely that the Grizzlies would waive fan favorite Vince Carter or cut an established player in Green. Look for the Grizzlies to make room somehow, should Troy Williams keep impressing.