Steve Kerr is one of the greatest coaches in NBA history. He's a four-time champion who has helped bring the very best out of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and former cornerstone Klay Thompson. If there's been one consistent criticism of Kerr, however, it's that he doesn't always adapt his system to players who lack the skill set to naturally fit his preferred style of play.
If recent rumors prove true, however, then the Warriors are preparing to challenge Kerr's adaptability by bringing in a backup point guard who isn't exactly known for shooting threes: Brandon Williams.
Williams, 26, won the 2025 NBA G League scoring title and carved out a role with the Dallas Mavericks in 2025-26. He played 22.2 minutes per game across 66 appearances and seemingly did enough to pique Golden State's interest.
According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the Warriors have expressed "legitimate interest" in the unrestricted free agent.
"Free agents who I'm told are drawing legitimate interest from Golden State for the Warriors' open roster spots: Georges Niang and Brandon Williams."
Though it's unclear whether or not the Warriors will actually follow through and sign Williams, it could be a sign that they're looking to shake things up in terms of how they operate on the court.
Is Steve Kerr willing to play a non-shooter like Brandon Williams?
Williams turned heads in 2025-26 by averaging 13.0 points, 3.9 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.9 steals in the aforementioned 22.2 minutes per game. Those numbers translate to eye-opening marks of 21.1 points, 6.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per 36 minutes.
Williams did all of this while shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 79.3 percent at the free-throw line. Unfortunately, he also shot just 28.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Therein lies the question: Would Kerr be willing to play Williams meaningful minutes without a reliable jump shot? That's been a dealbreaker in the past, with Jonathan Kuminga being the shining example of a slasher with a faulty jumper who struggled to carve out a consistent role during the Kerr era.
What Williams offers, however, is an assertive mentality as a scorer, a respectable assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.05, and the downhill scoring Golden State unavoidably needs to add to its rotation.
Brandon Williams is a dynamic slasher with a faulty jumper
In 2025-26, the Warriors ranked No. 28 in drives and No. 29 in points via drives. Williams, meanwhile, averaged 10.8 drives and 6.8 points via drives per game on 51.8 percent shooting. For perspective: He would've ranked No. 1 on Golden State in points via drives and No. 2 in drives, trailing only Jimmy Butler.
Considering Butler will soon turn 37 and is recovering from a torn ACL, the Warriors have a devastating lack of dribble penetrators and shot creators to take pressure off of Curry.
Williams may very well be the answer to their prayers in that regard. In 2025-26, he ranked No. 3 in the NBA in rim shot creation and placed in the 87th percentile in rim shot making efficiency, per Basketball Index. He also finished in the 90th percentile in one on one shot making.
If the Warriors ultimately sign Williams, however, his success with the team will start with Kerr deciding whether or not his system has space for a slashing scorer who struggles to shoot threes.
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