Listen up now: You likely have one last chance to check out one of the best athletes to come through Austin when the Austin Toros play their last home game of the regular season Friday.
Win a couple single-elimination playoff games, and the Toros could be back for another best-of-three NBA Development League championship. But win or lose, Marcus Williams is not long for Austin. He’s already had a much longer tenure in town than he ever would have imagined. Entering the draft after his sophomore year at the University of Arizona, Williams was signed by San Antonio in 2007, waived, re-signed, and waived yet again. Through all that, he played precisely one game with the Spurs, for all of two minutes, scoring not a single point. He had a slightly better run in 10 games with the Los Angeles Clippers late last season, averaging a single point per game. In a grand total of 36 minutes of playing time in the NBA, the 6-foot-7-inch shooting guard scored 10 points.
Yet I’m telling you, the guy is NBA material. It’s just that … well, it’s hard to say what exactly is keeping Williams from crossing over to the big time. While others have come and gone, he has stayed put, playing every Toros game this season.
“It’s definitely been a growing process,” Williams says. “At one point, yeah, I looked at being in Austin as a negative. It wasn’t something I was used to. I was drafted by the defending champs, and I thought I could play, for sure. Did I feel like I was going to come in right away and start? No. But with enough hours in the gym, I knew I could get there – I still feel that way.”
So what gives?
“Marcus has improved drastically,” says Mo McHone, director of basketball development for the Toros. “He’s learned that it’s about fitting in, playing a role. That’s what NBA teams are looking for in D-League guys: Do they get it? Do they understand the system? Marcus understands that. It’ll happen.”
But, of course, there are no guarantees. Hardly anyone stays in the Development League more than two seasons. After all, they have this valuable but highly perishable commodity – the ability to play basketball – and might cash in on that while they can. Playing overseas, a Marcus Williams might make half a million dollars a year – not bad for a 22-year-old. But it’s not the dream.
Whatever happens in the future, Williams would like to close out this season with a D-League championship. It won’t make the cover of Sports Illustrated. It may do nothing to improve his NBA marketability. But it would say something about his character, about his commitment to the game and to the team – something that transcends the harsh financial exigencies of managing a promising but precarious career. “If you told people you won the D-League championship, you’re not going to get a standing O,” Williams says. “But if you’re playing the game, you might as well win. I mean, why not?”
[Editor’s note: As we went to press, it was announced that Williams was signed by the Spurs, which is totally awesome.]
This article appears in April 10 • 2009.