Nate Williams continues to show promise after playing a staggering nearly 47 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, but the Golden State Warriors may be forced to give up on the 27-year-old come the offseason.
Williams has been an excellent two-way addition to the Warriors since his arrival in February, yet he may not have shown enough to warrant a standard deal on the main roster -- something he'll need to remain with the franchise next season.
Warriors may have to give up on Nate Williams after short period
The 6'5" wing has seen plenty of opportunity amid Golden State's injury crisis, with his minutes against the Spurs the most of any Warrior player in a game since Harrison Barnes in 2014 -- ironic because Barnes was also at Chase Center on Wednesday and played 27 minutes for the visitors.
Williams led the Warriors in scoring with 18 points, shooting 8-of-18 from the floor while also adding four rebounds, an assist and two steals. He's now averaging 7.2 points and 2.0 rebounds in his 12 games with Golden State, shooting an efficient 48.5% from the floor and 42.9% from 3-point range.
While his constant energy was impressive across nearly 47 minutes on Wednesday, Williams' best performance came less than two weeks ago in Atlanta where he had 19 points on a near-perfect 8-of-9 shooting from the floor while adding four rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Williams certainly has an NBA game, combining energy, hustle and defensive instincts with enough offensive skill to be a valuable two-way player. He also possesses a fearless mindset, evident by his willingness to guard the league's stars and even go at Victor Wembanyama at the rim on a couple of occasions on Wednesday.
The problem is that the league is largely filled with proven veterans that have already built a strong reputation, or young players with potential that teams believe can develop into stars or rotation players in time. Williams doesn't really fit into either of those categories.
Nate Williams may struggle for another NBA opportunity
Williams has only appeared in 59 career games, meaning he hasn't solidified himself as of yet. However, those games have come across four different seasons, meaning he's ineligible to be on a two-way deal again next season. At 27-years-old, it's not like there's enormous upside in him either.
He's certainly good enough to warrant being on a two-way deal, but there's still a question mark on whether the Warriors (or another team) are going to be willing to give him a standard contract and main roster spot going forward.
That means that despite being a positive contributor in his 12 games to date, Williams' time with the Warriors may very well end as a brief one after only a few months. Before then though, there's a good chance he's converted to the main roster at the end of the regular season to ensure he's active for the team's Play-In Tournament and potential playoff games.