If we talk about the most incredible dark horse player this season, no one would have thought of the Blazers' unknown player before the All-Star break. However, Brandon Williams has been performing hotter every game recently and has become the only bright spot in the Trail Blazers' 5-game losing streak. .
However, the time goes back to before the draft. Williams, who was once rated as a five-star high school student in high school, had already prepared for the Development League early. In 2017, he took a period of rest due to a knee injury in high school and entered Arizona. After college, he averaged 11.8 points per game in his freshman season and was selected to the freshman first team. However, he had another surgery due to a serious knee injury. Not only was he missing the entire sophomore season, he also left college in 2020.
"Brandon's experience is quite different. It's going to be very difficult to step back into the pros after being away from the court and college for a while," said scout Wright. Williams has been staying at the training center in Southern California since leaving college, and has also played several exhibition games in front of many team scouts. "At that time, he was already 100% healthy, and many teams were willing to sign him to the Development League for training."
Williams eventually decided to join the Knicks' G-League team, the Westchester Knicks, and averaged 22.8 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.1 rebounds in 13 games.
His good performance was also noticed by the Trail Blazers, who decided to sign Williams on a two-way contract. Williams scored 15.8 points and 2 assists in the past five games, which was the only bright spot in the Trail Blazers' recent dismal losing streak.
For Williams, playing for his childhood idol Chauncey Billups is a dream. "I grew up watching his games, and now he plays the point guard for him. He directly teaches me his skills. It's like a dream come true, but It also makes me cherish and work harder.”
