On Monday night, the New York Knicks agreed to a 10-day contract with small forward Troy Williams. The 23-year-old was previously on the Houston Rockets but was released last Wednesday to make a roster spot available for the signing of Joe Johnson.
NBA career
Williams went undrafted in 2016. In August of 2016, he agreed to a non-guaranteed deal with the Memphis Grizzlies but impressed enough to make their opening night roster.
He appeared in 24 games (13 starts) with Memphis in 2016-17 and posted per game averages of 5.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks.
The Grizzlies released Williams in late January of 2017, and the Rockets picked him up in March of last year. He played in just six games (three starts) for Houston last season and scored 58 points and grabbed 24 rebounds.
This season, Williams has appeared in just four games for Houston. He has scored five points on 2-9 shooting (0-5 on threes) and grabbed four rebounds.
Altogether in his 34 career NBA games, he has shot 75-176 (42.6 percent) from the field, 18-67 (26.9 percent) on three-point tries, and 22-35 (62.9 percent) from the foul line.
G-League career
Williams has spent more of his professional career playing in the G-League, first for the Iowa Energy, and then the Rio Grande Valley Vipers who are affiliated with the Rockets.
He has played in 52 G-League games over the last two seasons. He owns per game averages of 16.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.2 blocks. He has shot 46.2 percent from the field, 33.2 percent on threes, and 74.2 percent from the charity stripe.
College career
Williams spent three years at Indiana before forgoing his final season to enter his name in the NBA Draft.
Even though he started every game in his freshman season, he began to have a larger role in the following two years. In his sophomore and junior seasons, he averaged 13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game.
For his college career, Williams made 52.2 percent of his field goal attempts, 32.5 percent of his threes, and 70.5 percent of his free throws.
Role on the Knicks
While it is likely that Jeff Hornacek will continue to start Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway Jr. at shooting the guard and small forward coming out of the All-Star break, Williams may be able to receive some of the backup small forward minutes.
With the Knicks’ playoff hopes clearly dashed, the young players should start seeing more time. Hornacek has already stated that Jarrett Jack will likely have much less of a role as the team wants to see more from young point guards Frank Ntilikina, Emmanuel Mudiay, and Trey Burke.
The main challenger for minutes off the bench at small forward will come from Lance Thomas. He has started 22 games this year but will also turn 30 in April.
It is likely that the Knicks will want to see what they have in Williams to decide whether or not to keep him for the remainder of the season and perhaps next season as well. He exhibits excellent athleticism and has the tools to become a more well-rounded defender. His perimeter shot has been shaky at all levels though, and he has yet to develop a three-point shot that opposing teams fear.