Williams shows off athleticism in debut
ORLANDO, Fla. — In his final game with the Rockets organization last week, small forward Troy Williams was playing for the G-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers. “Before about 50 fans,” Williams said. Williams, who got into just four games with the Rockets this season after going undrafted in 2016, made his Knicks debut Thursday just two days after signing. And he looked the part, showing off the athletic talent that led to the Knicks wanting him for at least a 10-day contract but likely for the rest of the season.
Entering to start the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ 120-113 win over the Magic, Williams, 23, scored two baskets in his six-minute stint for four points and finished a plus-4.
“This team makes me feel at home,” Williams told The Post. “They’re excited to see me get in — just to have that comfort level behind me to go out there and just play was really good.”
Williams scored off his own miss after Trey Burke grabbed the offensive rebound and fed the Indiana University product for a driving runner.
“It was like that’s all I needed — to see the ball go in to take a deep breath and say, I’m good,’ ” Williams said.
Moments later, Williams scored on a baseline drive for a twisting reverse layup.
“The finish was athletic,” Williams said. “But I want to use my athleticism to defend and hustle. It’s part of what I’m supposed to do in my role.”
“He’s very good in transition, a developing player with potential to be a good defender,’’ one NBA scout attending the game said. “But athleticism is his deal.”
Courtney Lee already is feeling the minutes crunch in the new post-All-Star break developmental phase. Lee played 14 minutes Thursday, scoring 10 points in the city in which he started it all as a rookie.
“It’s definitely tough, frustrating,” Lee said about not being in the playoff race. “We had a goal coming in to make the playoffs, and we competed and gave ourselves a good chance. We kind of fell short along the way. So now you just try to turn that focus into now developing the young guys and just try to win as many games as possible.”