Troy Williams, the Memphis Grizzly

Troy Williams and the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to a partially guaranteed deal according to NBA reporter David Pick. This deal is similar to the one that former teammate, Yogi Ferrell, received from the Brooklyn Nets.

Securing an NBA deal comes as a surprise to no one due to his outstanding performance in the summer league with the Phoenix Suns. As the tournament progressed Williams saw more minutes and his confidence grew. It was a different type of Troy Williams – not a supporting cast player, but one that was leading his team on both sides of the court.

In his final three games of the Las Vegas tournament, Williams averaged 31 minutes, 20 rebounds, and 7 points a game. Two of his biggest problems at Indiana were consistency and ball-handling and he may have proved that he is ready to outgrow them. He looked like a pro.

It will be a great opportunity for Williams, but he will have a lot of hard work ahead of him if he hopes to break into the Grizzlies lineup. They are not short on forwards, with players like Chandler Parsons, Lance Stephenson, Zach Randolph, Brandon Wright, and even veteran Vince Carter already securing spots.

At first glance, it seems that Williams will not be seeing many first-team minutes and may even be sent to play in the D-League to develop with the Iowa Energy. Although, many questioned whether it was wise for him to declare for the NBA in the first place and so far, he has proved the doubters wrong. It isn’t too farfetched to believe that he could make the team as the 14th or 15th man on the roster.

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Williams has the work ethic to get him there. During his time with Indiana, he was always the first one down both sides of the court and rarely was caught being lazy. He had a few flaws but effort and determination were far from being them.

What Memphis have acquired is raw talent. While Williams may not be ready to don a uniform in the birthplace of rock n’ roll, he has plenty of potential to get there. He is incredibly gifted and has a nose for the basket, but has to mature and improve his basketball IQ if he wants to succeed. Good thing he has a lot of talent already at Memphis to learn from.