Brandon Williams Looks Like a Fix. The Lakers Are the First Real Test
A bench guard outplaying the players ahead of him matters more than the preseason loss that produced it, and tonight against the Lakers is where that idea gets tested.
Golden State fell 101-104 at the Clippers in its preseason opener, but Alex Toohey was cleared over the past day and will be available tonight against the Lakers. The more interesting story to come out of Hawaii is Brandon Williams, whose plus-16 in sixteen minutes has at least one Bay Area reporter wondering if he solves something this roster has lacked.
What actually changed
Toohey's knee scare lasted barely a day: he went from a question mark to cleared, and he'll be available tonight. That's the real injury news here. Kristaps Porzingis remains out indefinitely with the health issue Anthony Slater reported last week, and nothing new has surfaced on that front since.
The loss that doesn't matter as much as the box score
Golden State lost on the final possession in Hawaii, a block and two free throws turning a one-point deficit into three. Steve Kerr's bench scored 72 of the team's 101 points. That split says more about preseason rotations than about January, but it's the backdrop for why Williams stood out.
The Brandon Williams case
In his only outing so far, Williams went 4-for-9 for 11 points and finished a team-best plus-16 in sixteen minutes. NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole wrote this week that Williams might be the answer to a problem that has dogged this team in recent seasons, without naming the problem outright. One preseason game isn't proof of anything, but it's the kind of plus-minus that earns a second look.
Tonight, and what's still unresolved
The Lakers bring Luka Doncic, who averaged 33.5 points last season, and Austin Reaves, who averaged 23.3, both still 0-0 like Golden State. It's preseason, so the score won't settle much. What's actually unresolved is Stephen Curry's extension: finalized on paper September 25, with no salary or option terms reported since.
Is Alex Toohey playing against the Lakers tonight?
Yes. Toohey was cleared over the last day after a knee scare and is available for tonight's preseason game against the Lakers.
Why is Brandon Williams getting attention this week?
In the preseason opener at the Clippers, Williams scored 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting and finished a team-best plus-16 in sixteen minutes, prompting NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole to float him as a possible fix for a recurring Golden State issue.
