Brandon Williams heard a familiar voice from across the locker room as he was asked about his latest milestone of reaching 1,000 career points.
“You got a thou?” said Anthony Davis.
“I got me a thouwow,” Williams responded.
The two teammates joked about the contrast in their careers since Davis eclipsed 19,000 points earlier this season, but Williams’ accomplishment is the latest reminder of how the undrafted former two-way guard suddenly became a spark of speed and quick offense for the Mavericks.
Mavericks
Williams is in his fourth NBA season, but he’s scored 647 of his 1,010 points in 65 games dating back to last season. The 26-year-old guard took advantage of the vacancy left by Kyrie Irving and has set the tone as Dallas’ backup point guard, providing an option in the backcourt that can get downhill and finish at the rim. Those skills are rare among Mavericks guards since Irving is still recovering from ACL surgery.
“His skillset is pretty high when you talk about being able to use his speed, his playmaking, getting to the rim and getting to the free throw line,” said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd. “He’s been good for us coming off the bench. He gives us something that we don’t have and that’s that speed.”
Williams used that speed to reach the 1,000-point milestone in the third quarter of Saturday’s 110-104 victory over Houston. He sped past Kevin Durant and used his athleticism to connect on an acrobatic layup over Rockets shot blocker Clint Capela, which was a succinct example of how he’s able to change games for the Mavericks, who signed Williams to a two-way contract on Dec. 28, 2023.
Williams is the 262nd undrafted player in NBA history to reach 1,000 career points, a milestone he said he was unaware of going into the game.
“That’s actually crazy,” Williams said. “Something I never would’ve dreamed of. I’ve always wanted to make the NBA when I was little. To reach that, it speaks a lot to the crew I have around me, keeping me ready, on and off the court and ultimately, it just led to that.”
A recent return to Moda Center, where his NBA career started, resulted in his second-highest scoring output of the season as he poured in 22 points in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. It was his second straight game of reaching at least 20 points after scoring a season-high 26 points on Christmas Day against the Golden State Warriors.
The Mavericks are 2-2 this season when Williams, who averages 11.6 points entering Tuesday’s game in Sacramento, scores at least 20 points.
Related
The recent string of success on the offensive end has occurred with Williams attempting just five 3-pointers, a deliberate decision to focus on his strengths instead of forcing himself out of the worst shooting slump of his career. Williams is shooting 18.8% from beyond the arc after knocking down a career-high 40% in 33 games last season.
“Just repping it out,” Williams said. “This hasn’t been the year I’ve wanted from the 3-point line, but just trying to stay aggressive and stay locked in on the task of getting downhill and making plays for my teammates.”
Playmaking is an area that Williams has improved in. He’s averaging a career-high 3.9 assists this season, which ties a mark from his rookie year in 2021-22. Kidd, who made a Hall of Fame career of sharing the ball, thinks that assist mark can be even higher.
“I think the next step for his growth is being able to recognize and find others,” Kidd said. “We talked about not always being in fifth gear. You can be in fourth gear and still be the fastest one out there.”
That message has resonated with Williams, who understands how he can be most effective to help the Mavericks stay competitive.
“I know my strengths. I know my weaknesses,” Williams said. “Obviously, everybody knows my strength is speed so if I can change momentum in the game, especially in times when we need it, and it can help us win, I’m going to do that every time.”
Williams revealed he recently had a conversation with former Mavericks guard Devin Harris, who also used his speed as an advantage during his 15-year career.
“Devin’s one of the top fastest guards ever,” Williams said. “We had a back-and-forth on the road a couple of weeks ago. I was saying ‘08 Devin Harris vs. 2026 B-Will.
“Just picking my poison. It’s stuff that I’m learning still, today.”
Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
