Johnathan

Williams

Williams most recently played in the NBA in 2020 as a member of the Washington Wizards. This past season, he spent time with Galatasaray (Turkey) and Chemnitz 99 (Germany). He’ll look to make a positive impression on the Kings in both the California Classic and the Vegas Summer League, in hopes of earning a roster spot for next season.

Williams was one of the Wizards’ two two-way contract players this season, and his playing increased during the team’s final games in the Orlando bubble. He appeared in 15 games for Washington, starting six, posting averages of 3.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.5 blocks per. Wililams’ best outing with Washington came on August 13, when he grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds in a win over the Celtics.

Williams was a late addition to the starting lineup, as Rui Hachimura was scratched due to a sore quadriceps muscle. He didn’t offer up much from a scoring standpoint, but Williams’ work on the boards was critical. Seven of his career-high 16 rebounds came on the offensive end, getting the struggling Wizards some additional scoring opportunities. Williams will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Williams is starting in place of Rui Hachimura, who was a late scratch due to tightness in his right quadriceps muscle. After playing a little over 12 minutes in Washington’s first seeding game, Williams picked up five DNP-CDs before getting a total of seven minutes in the team’s last two games. He’ll have no playing time concerns to deal with Thursday, but Williams still isn’t worth using in any fantasy format.

Hachimura was a late scratch for the Wizards’ season finale, and his absence means that Johnathan Williams will start at power forward. Williams and Moritz Wagner will see their minutes increase in a game that means nothing (from a postseason standpoint) to either team.

Williams was signed via a hardship-exception by the Wiz before being waived, but he’ll end up back with the team. Anzejs Pasecniks was converted to a standard NBA deal, which made space for Williams. He could see some time with multiple Wizards big men still out due to injury.

Williams had been playing well and starting for the Wiz after being signed just about 10 days ago. They added him due to their injuries in the frontcourt, which suggests someone may be close to a return. Williams is good enough to latch on elsewhere, though he likely won’t have as good of an opportunity as he did in Washington.

Bertans remains without a firm return date, but him getting in a practice with the G League team indicates that he’s moving in the right direction. The Wizards have a Friday-Saturday back-to-back set coming up, so it’s unlikely he’ll play Friday, but maybe he’ll be able to get back out there for Saturday’s game. Johnathan Williams and Troy Brown will continue to pick up the slack until he gets back.

Scott Brooks said on Saturday that Bertans wouldn’t likely miss a week of action, so if you’re in a weekly format, Bertans should be on your bench next week. Johnathan Williams could be looking at another start on Monday, while Troy Brown will be forced into heavy minutes. Jordan McRae will also see some increased opportunity on offense sans Bertans.

Williams didn’t attempt a field goal in Saturday’s loss, going 2-of-2 from the foul line for his only points of the night. Isaac Bonga, who was moved to the bench ahead of Saturday’s game, was more effective as he tallied eight points, four rebounds, one assist and two steals in 20 minutes off the bench. Even with the injuries that Washington is dealing with, Williams doesn’t offer much in the way of fantasy value.