Nigel Williams-Goss Didn’t Take Any Shortcuts On His Journey To NBA

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah Jazz point guard Nigel Williams-Goss has made it back to the NBA and did so without taking any shortcuts in his journey.

Williams-Goss signed with the Jazz after spending two seasons overseas when he was drafted in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft by Utah.

He started at point guard in Utah’s preseason opener against the Adelaide 36ers on Saturday with Dante Exum and Mike Conley not playing. Williams-Goss recorded 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and one steal, while shooting 5-of-9 from the field and 1-for-4 from downtown in 21 minutes. The Gonzaga star caught up with KSL Sports’ Sam Farnsworth after Utah’s 133-81 win.

“It’s just a blessing to be out here on an NBA floor with an NBA jersey,” Williams-Goss said. “It’s been such a long journey for me, so it was pretty emotional for me and was a special night.”

I talked with #UtahJazz guard @NigelWG5 after tonight’s preseason game and he told me how emotional his journey has been and how blessed he felt to be wearing the Jazz jersey. He scored 12 points, 3 assists, 3 reb, 1 steal tonight in 21 minutes. #TakeNote #KSLSports

— Sam Farnsworth (@SFarnsworthKSL) October 6, 2019

Williams-Goss learned a lot about what he needed to do to make it to the NBA after spending one season each with KK Partizan in Serbia and Olympiacos B.C. in Greece.

“No shortcuts,” he said. “It’s a daily process. I have been on this journey since I was 10-years-old and really haven’t taken any shortcuts, I just pushed myself and sacrificed a lot and just to see it pay off is just a blessing.”

Now that he is back with the team who drafted him, Williams-Goss is trying to get as much experience as he can during training camp and preseason.

“The more minutes I can get early on, it’s just going to speed up that transition, whether that is in practice or a game, just as many reps I can get I know is going to help me in the long run,” Williams-Goss mentioned.

He has a great opportunity to learn from Jazz veterans like Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Dante Exum, Emmanuel Mudiay, who share the backcourt with him.

“They are just great guys,” Williams-Goss stated. “That’s the most important thing for me and I think for all of us in here, we want to be around a great group of guys. Those guys have been phenomenal leaders and I am excited to learn from such season veterans.”

The Jazz will return to preseason action on Wednesday when they travel to Milwaukee to face the Bucks. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. on AT&T SportsNet.