Nate Williams Hopes to Improve for Rockets

Houston Rockets forward Nate Williams is on his second straight two-way deal.

Oct 7, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Houston Rockets guard Nate Williams (19) has a shot blocked by Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) during the third quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets chose to keep just one of their three players from last year on a two-way deal.

Nate Williams, 25, was the only player on a two-way deal last year that finds themselves in the exact same position. Considering the other two — Nate Hinton and Jermaine Samuels — are just on Exhibit 10 deals, it's a positive sign that the Rockets want to continue investing in Williams.

That being said, Williams has to prove himself if he wants to eventually find a standard contract in the NBA someday.

Williams struggled in his preseason debut for the Rockets, scoring just two points in 13 minutes and the team was a -13 while he was on the floor as the team fell to the Utah Jazz.

The run in the third quarter where Williams was on the court was when the Rockets lost their lead, but there isn't a whole lot of stock put into the preseason to begin with.

The Rockets just hope that Williams can continue developing at the pace he's at. Houston might be a difficult place to break into considering all of the young talent in the organization, but Williams is aware that as a two-way player, he is constantly auditioning for every team in the league, and he never knows when his big break could come.

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