Last season, C.J. Williams became a fan favorite with the Clippers, playing hard when called up on his two-way contract. He averaged 5.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 38 games when forced into action on the injury-riddled Clippers, and he impressed in the G-League averaging 16.5 points a game. However, because the Clippers are not rebuilding and overstocked their roster with players who can help them just miss the playoffs now, so Williams was let go.
Tom Thibodeau and the Timberwolves scooped him up, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical at Yahoo Sports.
Sources: The Timberwolves and swingman C.J. Williams are finalizing a two-way NBA contract. Williams emerged as a rotation wing on a two-way deal with the Clippers last season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 31, 2018
Timberwolves fans (and Jimmy Butler) will love Williams — the guy brings it every game. He plays hard and he plays smart, doing all the little things that coaches love to see. He’s a real team player. Williams is a quality player who just lacks that one elite NBA skill — he’s not terrible at anything, but he’s not great at that one thing either. The old “jack-of-all-trades but master of none” problem.
The only issue here, he’s 28. Williams is what he is. Most teams are using their two-way contracts on young guys to develop, that’s not the case here.
Williams is a solid pickup for Minnesota and can give the team some minutes this season if needed. He’s just not part of the long-term future.
