SAN FRANCISCO — When Dallas’ pregame court time ended before a recent game at Golden State, Mavericks players promptly trotted off through a tightly roped-off area into their Chase Center locker room.
Except one. Brandon Williams came zipping by nearly 15 minutes later.
At this point of his career, you could say the former Arizona Wildcats guard is just a hard guy to keep off the court.
Once a five-star rated recruit in the high school class of 2018 whose teenage years were severely limited by injury, Williams has refused to stop moving as a pro, no matter what anyone says.
Williams missed nearly a full calendar year of high school ball after surgery to repair osteochondritis dissecans, a condition that can result in bone and cartilage breaking free and causing pain or restricted motion above the knee. Williams also missed six games during his freshman season at Arizona in 2018-19 when the issue flared up again.
Williams
Williams had another surgery after that season, then spent 2019-20 rehabilitating with the Wildcats. He left UA for good in the fall of 2020, worked out another year and, when he was finally ready to go in 2021 … was passed up by both the NBA and G League drafts.
Williams found a way make it happen anyway. The 6-foot-1 guard made the Westchester Knicks’ G League roster and, in December 2021, signed a 10-day contract with Portland to help fill in for several COVID-stricken Blazers.
Portland invited Williams back late that season with a two-way contract that would extend through 2022-23, giving him hope of a permanent job. He played five games with the Blazers’ summer league team in 2022, then reported to training camp — and was cut before last season began.
“I’m not sure what happened,” Williams said. “They got a few bigs and needed some depth on that end. But it was understandable. It’s a business.”
Williams didn’t stop. He caught on instead the Atlanta Hawks’ G League franchise, finishing last season with a 40-point effort against the Birmingham Squadrons, New Orleans’ G League affiliate.
That led to an invitation to play for Minnesota’s Summer League team last July, when Williams averaged 17.2 points while shooting 52.2% from the field and 31.3% from 3-point range.
After Summer League, Williams could have settled in somewhere overseas but instead signed an Exhibit 10 contract to attend Orlando’s training camp.
He was too close to get too far away from the NBA.
“I got a whole bunch of offers from going overseas for sure, but I knew that a lot of NBA teams were interested in me, and not just one team here or one team there,” Williams said. “It’s collectively, so it was just keeping me motivated, keeping me going every single day. I’m right there. I know I can keep going.”
He did, this time with the Magic’s G League team in Osceola, Florida. Over 14 games earlier this season, Williams averaged 22.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists while shooting 47.9% overall, 37.6% from 3-point range, teaming with other top prospects that included Mac McClung, Trevelin Queen and D.J. Wilson.
Arizona guard Brandon Williams, center, shovels a pass around UCLA center Moses Brown to teammate forward Ira Lee in a January 2019 game. Williams fought through injuries with the Wildcats, but now, still only 24 years old, says he's "just working every day just to see where I can go. That's what makes me excited."
“For me on to come in on an already loaded team and showcase what I could do was kind of easy,” Williams said.
Williams didn’t just impress the Magic. Dallas was keeping an eye on him, too, already having invited Williams for a minicamp before Summer League. So when guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving were sidelined with minor injuries last month, the Mavericks reached out.
“They’ve been interested for a while,” Williams said. The mini-camp “was a whole bunch of guys trying to make the team, and it was solid. I had a really good showing there.
“But you how the basketball thing works — it’s up and down, and it kind of came back around full circle. They always stayed in contact with my agent. I did my job of my end on the court, and they did their job behind the scenes, and ultimately, I landed here.”
But it wasn’t just a 10-day deal this time. The Mavericks signed Williams to a two-way deal for the rest of the season, meaning Williams’ contract was upgraded to a full two-way contract, which pays $559,782 on an annual basis.
“A big upgrade,” Williams said.
As a bonus, Williams says he also gets a chance “to be a sponge,” surrounded by NBA all-star guards. Doncic and Irving are back from minor injuries, while Dallas coach Jason Kidd just happens to be regarded as one of the game’s best-ever point guards.
“It’s a great position for me to be in, with guys like Luka and Kyrie who can really teach me the game, show me the ways as a point guard, as well as Jason Kidd,” Williams said. “For a young guard, there’s no better place to be, honestly. It would be crazy for me not to take stuff from these guys every day.”
Williams also has a Wildcat to lean on. Dallas wing Josh Green spent his freshman season of 2019-20 with the Wildcats, never really playing with Williams at UA because of his injury but getting to know him while Williams sat out that season.
“I wish I was able to play with him,” Green said. “But it’s super, super cool to see him here now and I think he’ll fit in well with the team. Having another Arizona guy here is super good. He’s a really good guy.”
While the two-way contract means Williams can be shipped to Dallas’ G League team at any time, the Mavericks made room for him on their NBA roster by waiving Dexter Dennis, and suited up Williams for eight games entering their Tuesday night game against Memphis.
Williams didn’t end up playing in his first game with the Mavs on Dec. 28 at Minnesota, and he didn’t get in Dallas’ 132-122 loss at Golden State on Dec. 30, when many of the current Wildcats watched the first half from the stands between their games at Cal and Stanford.
“In this league, it’s kind of up and down,” Williams said after the Mavs-Warriors game. “You never know when your name’s gonna be called. So the off days are gonna really be my game day. It’s just me being prepared as possible. When that time is ready, I’ve got to be ready to go.”
Two days later, it was his time. Williams made his Mavericks’ debut on Jan. 1 at Utah, collecting four points in seven minutes, and he played two games against Portland later in the week.
In Dallas’ 139-103 win over Portland last Friday, Williams had seven points, two assists and a block while hitting his only 3-point attempt over 10 minutes.
While those same Trail Blazers were the ones who cut him loose back in October 2022, Williams didn’t see an end then, and he doesn’t now, either.
Not a chance. Williams is still only 24 years old, with his knee injury behind him and another NBA opportunity ahead.
“I feel I’ve got a lot of basketball left in me,” Williams said. “There’s a lot of things I need to learn, lot of things I need to get better at. I don’t know where my potential is, so that’s why I’m just working every day just to see where I can go. That’s what makes me excited.”
