Wingspan was noted by Donovan Williams.
Now that’s the job it takes to keep him in the NBA…and in Brooklyn.
Other Nets hopefuls from Summer League are already in and out, with Bryson Gresham, Taze Moore and Eve Pons playing abroad and David Duke Jr. entering the free agency fringes but not drafted. Williams, a free agent outside, survived the cut-in to Las Vegas, and is set to go to Brooklyn next week.
“That’s all there is to it,” Williams said of his chances of finding a place on the Nets roster. “I’m always at the gym whether they’re there or not, whether someone is watching or not. It means everything to me because they understand that the work is really paying off because they’re the organization I wanted to play for, so if they trust me, it means It will help a lot.”
Williams’ length and defensive prowess is what prompted the Nets to bring him to Las Vegas. I am thinking.
“He didn’t hesitate when he came out[to Las Vegas],” said Adam Capone, the Brooklyn assistant who coached the summer league team. “Great energy. Strength and communication are going to be huge factors in his success in the NBA.”
“He’s a player who can attack with an advantage.”
A four-star recruit from the Houston area who naturally wound up with the Longhorns, Williams played sparingly and shot poorly during his two years at Austin. But when he moved to UNLV last year and was given the opportunity to play, he didn’t waste it. Williams averaged 12.7 points for his UNLV in his 2021-22 season, and his 3-pointers averaged just 21.9% from the deep in his two seasons in Texas. hit his 43.6% furiously.
“I can shoot that guy,” UNLV director Kevin Kruger told the Post. “That’s his biggest, best attribute. But I wouldn’t say he’s just a shooter. He’s an attacking player with an advantage.
“[You can’t] He can go anywhere on the floor in one dribble, so he closes out. Players are driving and kicking each other when the ball is moving left and right. And on defense, he has to use his length to stay in front. “
That length has always been there, as was the 40-inch vertical leap he showed while finishing an acrobatic open-court lob from Kam Thomas during Summer League. The extent he has shown in the past year is a new development, such as achieving And its development came from time in the lab.
“Everything is in charge,” Williams said. “When I left Texas and came to UNLV, I wasn’t working hard enough on the shoot the way I liked it. So I just put in the work. [here] If I hadn’t put in a job
“I shoot 200, 300, 400, 500 just to make it in the game when it matters. It’s just a matter of making the most of it.
Exactly
The Nets believed in Williams — nicknamed “The Stretch” for his 7-foot wingspan despite his 6-foot-6, 190-pound frame — made him part of their offseason plan. was enough to
Unlike last year, the Nets had four draft picks, including two first-round picks, but none were drafted this June. They also had the tail end of a fluid roster – and that was before Kevin Durant’s trade request and Kyrie Irving’s contract drama.
For Williams, it meant an opportunity.
Williams projected: Borderline 2nd round pick in some mock drafts. But for many prospects in that range, they weren’t picked and were better off being able to choose a destination that suited them. I had the foresight to let you know.
“Honestly, draft night, it was looming,” Williams said. So I called Brooklyn…and it was such a surreal moment.I had my childhood friends around me and my family around me.… [T]Hats were everything to me.
“Brooklyn felt like a team we worked with and really enjoyed the pre-draft process,” Williams added. “So it was definitely one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made in my life. At that moment, I had to choose to hear my name called for the rest of my career. …but , I’m sure I made the right one.”
The Nets were fully convinced they were expected to assign Williams one of three Exhibit 10 contracts (Chris Chiozza already had one, with the third in the open final). remaining as a roster spot).
Exhibit 10 is a one-year non-guaranteed minimum salary contract that counts toward the 20-person limit for training camps, but does not count toward the salary cap. season roster. Even with Williams fired, the Nets still retain their Ghi league rights and can earn a $50,000 bonus if they join the Long Island affiliate.
It may be a tall order for the Nets to enter the season opener, but he’s outpaced his previous odds.
“Do you want Tracy McGrady to train me?”
When Williams got down to his game, it was often alone or with his UNLV coach.
“Tracy McGrady…he came to me,” Williams said. “Maybe a year or so ago his brothers came and they were watching our game at Elkins. [High School] — said they really just want to exercise. Does Tracy McGrady want to train me? He wants to be that kind of player when he grows up.”
Working out with the 7-time All-Star was a pinch moment for Williams. But again, he had a couple on this trip.
Williams can be recalled in the 2013 WNBA Draft (by Liberty) when his older sister Kelsey Vaughan honed his way from a marginal pick prospect to the No. 5 overall pick. When she played for Las Vegas Her Aces in her 2018, he saw and absorbed what it meant to be a pro.
“The minute I said I was going into the draft, we were talking. She gave me a tip. Court,” Williams said. “Having her by my side and behind me, being a professional, and everything she’s been through feels like a kind of cheat code.
“I see pictures of me and Kelsey all the time and it’s kind of surreal. I was just there at the time: I didn’t really understand everything that was going on. I just supported my sister I was there to do it, and now it’s my turn.”
