LAS VEGAS β The attention during the Portland Trail Blazers' 81-78 loss to the Detroit Pistons on the opening night of NBA Summer League at Thomas and Mack Center was focused around the first-round draft picks, Shaedon Sharpe and Jaden Ivey.Β
However, Sharpe exited the game with a shoulder injury and didn't return, but former Arizona point guard Brandon Williams picked up the slack, recording 15 points on 4 for 12 shooting from the field, four rebounds and four assists, albeit committed three turnovers and went 0 for 5 from 3-point range; he also made 7 of 10 free-throws.
smoooooth @theebwill | #SummerBlazers pic.twitter.com/lMzZqRLYb6
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) July 8, 2022
"I thought Brandon played well," said Portland Summer League coach Steve Hetzel. "They were switching and kind of got stagnant, had one too many turnovers. We'll watch the film and learn how to better execute against the switching."Β
Hetzel says he was impressed with Williams' knack for driving in the lane, and wants the 22-year-old guard to be an "aggressive player and want the ball in the paint."
Portland Trail Blazers' Brandon Williams, center, drives against the Detroit Pistons during the second half an NBA summer league basketball game Thursday, July 7, 2022, in Las Vegas.Β
"At the end of the game, you saw him in the paint and he's got great footwork around the rim, and I'd like to see him attack and play downhill and just try to distribute from there," Hetzel said.Β Β
Williams was unavailable for media availability after the game on Thursday, but plans to speak with the Star this weekend. The 6-foot-2-inch combo guard is entering his second season in the NBA after leaving the UA prior to the pandemic-influenced 2020-21 season. Williams received All-Pac-12 Freshman Team honors in 2019. Later that year, Williams underwent surgery for aΒ congenital condition in his right knee, which has impacted his basketball career going back to his days at Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, California.Β
After sitting out for a year, Williams declared for the 2021 NBA draft, but went undrafted and played for the Westchester Knicks, the G League affiliate of the New York Knicks. When the NBA was peppered with positive COVID-19 cases in the winter, Williams signed a 10-day contract with Portland, then averaged 12.9 points, 3.9 assists, 3.1 rebounds in 24 games for the Trail Blazers this season. Williams had six 20-plus-point performances during the 2022 season, including a 27-point outing against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With Sharpe out, Williams and Keon Johnson, who led the team with 21 points on 8 for 17 shooting, carried the load for Portland, but Ivey's 20 points and Pistons center Isaiah Stewart's near double-double of 13 points and nine rebounds gave Detroit the edge.Β
"It says a lot about him as a person, with the adversity he's had to go through," Hetzel said of Williams. "To be able to work and get himself back to this level β he's a high-level player."Β
Portland faces the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday night at Thomas and Mack Center at 7 p.m. for its second game of NBA Summer League, which can be watched on ESPN2.Β
