Brandon Williams wasted no time making Golden State’s latest roster move look worthwhile.
In the Warriors’ preseason opener against the L.A. Clippers in Hawaii on Sunday, the newly acquired guard was easily one of the few bright spots in an otherwise clunky 104-101 loss. Williams brought pace, pressure and a little life to an offense that spent too much of the night stuck in neutral, finishing with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting and flashing that burst on a series of hard drives to the rim.
He didn’t just score, either. Williams settled in as a playmaker in the second half, linking up with the bigs on his way to three assists against only one turnover in fewer than 16 minutes off the bench. He also posted a team-best plus-16, helping Golden State claw back after falling behind by 12 at halftime.
That comeback effort ultimately fell short when Clippers rookie Keaton Wagler hit a go-ahead jump-shot in the final 15 seconds. By then, the Warriors had already dug a hole with a first half that was hard to watch: 43 points, 10 turnovers, and a shooting line that never gave them a chance to control the game.
Williams’ performance matters because Golden State needs exactly that kind of juice early. With six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler out of the picture and Kristaps Porzingis still a question mark at starting center, the Warriors are going to need contributions from places that weren’t supposed to carry this much weight this soon. Williams, a former Dallas Mavericks guard, looked ready for that responsibility.
The bigger takeaway may be how good the signing already looks. Golden State got him on a minimum contract, and after what he did against the Clippers, it’s fair to wonder why nobody else around the league - not even Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the Warriors’ own front office, according to the source reporting - was willing to hand him a guaranteed deal after his career-best season with Dallas.
Still, the night mostly belonged to the offense’s rough edges. Golden State’s push to cut down on turnovers didn’t show up in the first half, and the shooting numbers were just as ugly: 32.6% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc. The second half was better, but Steve Kerr won’t get much comfort from the fact that a lot of that production came from players who aren’t expected to be in the main rotation when opening night arrives.
There were a few other box score notes worth filing away. Charles Bassey put up 12 points and eight rebounds in a little more than 16 minutes, while Graham Ike added 11 points and five boards in similar time. Stephen Curry was the only starter to finish in double figures, scoring 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting in under 13 minutes.
Golden State now heads home for its next tune-up, a matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, before turning around to play the Trail Blazers in Portland on Wednesday in the second night of a back-to-back.
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