The “welcome to the NBA” moment could not have come any sooner for Malik Williams.
On the first offensive possession of his NBA career Wednesday, Williams set a screen for Gradey Dick, rolled to the rim, received a pass, and went up for a layup. He was met by All-Defensive Team candidate Jaden McDaniels, the co-anchor of the league’s best defence, who promptly swatted Williams’ shot away. Signed by the Raptors to a 10-day contract earlier that day, Williams was 0-for-1 in an instant, the jump he’s trying to make from the G League to the NBA presented stark and immediate.
In another way, though, that moment came far sooner than anyone could have anticipated years, months, or even weeks ago. In a season where the Raptors have now played 30 different players – a franchise record and one shy of Memphis’ NBA record, also set this year – nobody’s ascension to this level is unlikelier than that of Williams.
This is a Raptors team that’s checked several of the unlikelier boxes, to be clear. Jontay Porter nearly walked away from the sport before making it back (and possibly leaving it just as quickly). Javon Freeman-Liberty and Mouhamadou Gueye were G League bench players last year. Justise Winslow didn’t play on his 10-day deal – he would have pushed the Raptors into a tie with Memphis as the 31st man – but his comeback story was meaningful for Raptors 905. Everything Markquis Nowell accomplishes is special.
Williams somehow feels less likely than all of them, or at least has more recently. Initially a five-star recruit, Williams was more tools than production over five seasons at Louisville. At times, the 25-year-old was slowed by injury and suspension; mostly, his game never quite came around to the level many expected.
That not only left Williams undrafted in 2022, it also left him without offers as an undrafted free agent. He didn’t attend Las Vegas Summer League, normally a veritable job fair for his type of player, and he remained unsigned until January.
When Williams did sign a deal, with Anwil in Poland, it was as a depth piece. Multiple times, he was close to being let go, but by the end of that season, he was starting regularly for a team that would go on to surprise as FIBA Europe Cup Champions.
His 2023-24 followed a similar path. Williams was a tryout player for Sioux Falls in the G League and was initially cut by the team. It was only when Jamaree Bouyea got an NBA call-up and, eventually, Cheick Diallo signed overseas that Williams was back in the mix. By January, he was starting for the Skyforce. By March, he was going toe-to-toe with some of the best two-way players in the league like Pete Nance and Isaiah Mobley.
It’s a long path from unemployed out of a premiere basketball program, to the fringes of European basketball, to walk-on status in the G League, and now to an NBA 10-day contract. In a G League environment that’s defined by out-of-the-ordinary success stories, Williams’ story still stands out. He was cut in the G League less than six months ago, and on Wednesday he was starting an NBA game.
However, the remarkable story doesn’t guarantee a happy ending. Williams is far from a finished prospect, and there’s a reason he was on the fringes of the G League not long ago. The bet here is that the raw talent and athleticism that once made Williams a top prospect, combined with rapid in-season improvement in two consecutive pro seasons, suggests there’s more to tap into with the near-7-footer.
Most of that upside is on the defensive end. Williams is strong, with a solid nose for defensive rebounds and solid rim-protection instincts. There is also some switching potential because of his agility, though he looks more comfortable closer to the paint right now. On offence, Williams will need to cut back on the less efficient shots he’d take in the G League, focusing on being a pure roll-man with some ability to knock down a 3-point shot from the top. His shooting percentages are not great; his mechanics are solid.
On Wednesday, he looked like a player in his first NBA game, who was playing 30-plus minutes because his team was down to eight available players. He had a couple of nice defensive moments, staying with Anthony Edwards on a pick-and-roll possession, coming up with two blocks, and chasing down Naz Reid to strip the ball in transition after he’d given it up with a bad hand-off sequence with Immanuel Quickley. He also looked overmatched by Reid and Rudy Gobert with regularity and only finished with five rebounds. Williams also shot 0-of-7 from the floor, missing a pair of threes, some floater-range looks, and the rim attempt that McDaniels erased.
You’ll be shocked to learn that one of the four best teams in the NBA is not a friendly landing spot for your NBA debut.
For Williams and the Raptors, this latest 10-day contract isn’t about what he can contribute right now. The fact he’ll get NBA minutes is good for his development and to see how quickly he picks things up, but this contract – like Jahmi’us Ramsey and Kobi Simmons before him – is about getting to know the player a bit better and seeing who might fit the team’s plans for this summer. A strong stint here could put Williams on the radar for his first Summer League appearance, or a spot in the Raptors’ summer development program with a chance to compete for a training camp invite next fall.
Considering he was fighting for a G League camp invite this fall, he surely won’t let a tough NBA debut shake his confidence.
Here are some other notes from the Raptors 15th consecutive loss, a 133-85 blowout against Minnesota:
• That is the largest loss in franchise history at 48 points. The team lost by 46 to the Knicks as an expansion team in 1995-96. The bad loss that stands out more recently as a bar of poor play is a 45-point loss to Cleveland on Boxing Day in 2021. That was a game where the roster was wiped out with COVID issues and the team’s bench consisted entirely of emergency call-up players: Tremont Waters, Juwan Morgan, and Daniel Oturu.
• The loss puts the Raptors two off the franchise record losing streak of 17. If we assume they’ll lose in Milwaukee on Friday, that means a home date against the lowly Washington Wizards is Toronto’s last chance to avoid rewriting their own history. It might also be the team’s last spot on the schedule for a win, with a visit to Brooklyn the only other game Toronto has left against a non-competitive team.
• Javon Freeman-Liberty had a nice night, with a career-high 16 points and six assists. Of all the players who have been given expanded windows to play, he’s probably done the most with his opportunity. He has a nose for the paint that few others on the (active) roster have, and while he hasn’t shot particularly well on threes of late, everyone around the team seems to believe it’s a real weapon over a larger sample. He’s been more consistent in his hustle than most, even if that’s occasionally led to misplays from trying to do too much.
• Memphis won a second game in a row, topping Milwaukee. That puts the Raptors three wins clear of the Grizzlies (and three clear of Portland in the other direction), meaning they’re extremely likely to finish with the league’s sixth-worst record. That would come with a nine-percent chance at the No. 1 pick and a 45.8-percent chance of keeping their own pick, which they owe to San Antonio unless it falls in the top six after the lottery.
• Malachi Flynn scored 50 points Wednesday, with six rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Good night.