SAN FRANCISCO – Injuries are beginning to pile up for the Golden State Warriors. Backup point guard Brandon Williams suffered a left hamstring injury in the Dubs' 138-87 blowout win over the New Orleans Pelicans, further blunting the depth of an injured Warriors squad that is already without Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody, and Kristaps Porzingis.
“It's a big concern. He's a huge part of our team, and he's given us such a lift,” Kerr said after the game. “And it's a hamstring. He's going to get an MRI, so we'll see how bad it is.”
Williams exited late in the first quarter of Golden State's eventual 51-point victory, and the Warriors quickly ruled him out for the remainder of the game with the left hamstring injury designation. At his locker post-game, the usually talkative and lighthearted Williams looked visibly frustrated, leaving the locker room quickly as reporters filed into the area.
Though the extent of Williams' hamstring injury isn't known yet, it seems likely the backup point guard will miss some time given that he is scheduled to undergo an MRI, which would be a sizeable loss for Golden State.
Williams has averaged 10.4 points, 2.3 assists, and 2.1 rebounds in 10 games this season, serving as the Warriors' lead ballhandler when Stephen Curry is not in the game. With his lightning-quick speed and airtight handle, Williams has given Golden State a good scoring punch off the bench, adding a dimension off the dribble that they don't quite have elsewhere on the roster.
De'Anthony Melton's reaction to Brandon Williams' injury
Additionally, with reserve shooting guard Will Richard also expected to miss time due to a UCL tear in his left thumb, the Warriors are down to ten rostered players available for their upcoming 5-game road trip. And while they can patch up their depth by using their two-way players Graham Ike, Malefy Leons, and LJ Cryer, Williams' injury leaves this veteran-led Dubs squad a bit thin should other injuries begin to pile up.
Article Continues BelowFor guard De'Anthony Melton, who is very close with Williams as the two of them led Crespi Carmelite High School to back-to-back Division-I state championships in 2015 and 2016, his teammate's injury is a hard pill to swallow.
“Man, it's just tough. It's just tough because he was playing so well for us, and it's like I said, it's just somebody that we need. Just what he brings to the game, and who he is as a person,” Melton said. “No matter what, for every game, whatever it is, he's just saying like I love this shit. Like you gotta love this. You know what I mean? So that type of stuff. I mean, it's gonna hurt. I hate to see it happen to him for sure, or to anybody really.
But I tried to find him right after at halftime and stuff like that, and got to chop it up with a little after the game. I'm just gonna try to make sure I'm there for him mentally. And physically, hopefully it's the shortest time possible, and that's all we can hope for, but it's tough. It's tough. He was playing so well for us, and it's not over. But at the same time, you just hate to see it happen like that.”