'Surreal' moment for Williams in return
Alondes Williams played it pretty cool, but he couldn't help cracking a wide smile Wednesday night.
The Milwaukee native had just played seven minutes for the Brooklyn Nets in a 107-97 exhibition victory over the Bucks, and the 6-foot-4 guard stood in the cramped visitors locker room just a few feet from teammate Kevin Durant.
That's a pretty unbelievable place to be for a 23-year-old who didn't have many options after graduating from Riverside High School. He went from junior college to role player at Oklahoma to ACC player of year at Wake Forest and now has a two-way contract with the Nets.
"It was surreal," Williams said. "Just being back home. Always growing up being in that arena, well it's new now, just watching the Bucks and stuff. Now it's just amazing just finally going against them."
Williams checked in to play the final 6 minutes 44 seconds against the Bucks' reserves. He flashed some playmaking ability by taking Lindell Wigginton off the bounce to draw a foul at the rim. Williams' 1-for-2 shooting on free throws was his only offensive contribution in the box score, but that didn't take away from the moment.
"My dad was a big Bucks fan, he always wanted me to play with them," he said. "So it was just good to have my friends and family out there watching."
Williams probably will log significant time in the G League this season, but the Nets like his potential even if he is an older rookie.
"I love his personality," Nets coach Steve Nash said. "He's a player we'd love to develop. He's got a real knack for passing and he's also I think quietly more athletic than he looks. He can make a lot of plays. I kind of think of him as a gamer."
Williams has logged only 12 minutes over two appearances in the preseason, but he's soaking up knowledge from veterans like Durant.
"It's been great,"
Williams
said. "They've been giving me great teaching points. Like telling me what to do and what not to do. Off the court things, too. Just to be a better person. So it's good being around them type of vets and their type of caliber.”
Williams was only a 27% threepoint shooter at Oklahoma and Wake Forest, so that has been a point of emphasis as he tries to stick in the NBA.
"For these guys, I think a lot of it is learning to play the NBA game," Nash said. "It's slightly different. Especially when you come in and you're not a knockdown shooter. He has to learn all the reads, all the different situations that come with the NBA game.
"That's defensively as well. It's different than playing in college. There's so much space. So much more responsibility defensively to cover in space. That takes time as well."
Walking out of the locker room, Williams was asked if he ever believed he'd go from playing at the Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club in the Sherman Park neighborhood to being on the court at the city's massive arena.
"Nah, but as a I got older, yeah," Williams said with another wide smile. "People got different paths. Took longer than it had to be. But, nah, not really."