We knew Nigel Williams-Goss was very good at basketball before he signed for Zalgiris Kaunas. Few of us could have imagined how well he’d fit in the Lithuanian club’s style. Emmet Ryan on a potentially revelatory season for Williams-Goss in Euroleague.
Nigel Williams-Goss has looked like the star in Euroleague he was always meant to be in his first two games with Zalgiris Kaunas. In a way, the impact of his journey in his development has been on show this past week.
The obvious stuff
Nobody was considering Nigel Williams-Goss a scrub or even a bit-part player before his move. Still, there’s a reality to accept when the move was made. Zalgiris Kaunas had signed Williams-Goss assuming they could do more with him than Olympiacos did.
This is what always happens when a financially weaker club signs a player from a financially superior club. With Zalgiris, it has even happened with financially comparable clubs. Look at how much more they’ve managed to do with Sylvain Francisco than Bayern did.
What we’ve seen from Williams-Goss in the opening two games, where Zalgiris earned wins over both the Euroleague champions (Fenerbahce) and runners-up (AS Monaco), has still been eye-popping. The fit is a huge part of the reason and the impact of Williams-Goss, in the wider context of the Zalgiris roster, is a testament to the front office.
The journey played a role
Look at the meat of the professional career of Nigel Williams-Goss. The expectation has been for him to be a man who defers. From his early stints with Partizan (where he fought his way to being the guy) and the Utah Jazz along with that first time with Olympiacos, he moved to Real Madrid for two seasons and then another pair with Olympiacos.
All the while he was a man who expected to lead that had to learn to defer. He had to be able to function as not being the guy while his whole body was rebelling against such a concept. More importantly. Williams-Goss got really good at it.
By the time, with his 31st birthday approaching, that he was asked to be the guy again it was a little surprising. Williams-Goss had learned to be a second or third option. He was able to be the man who deferred. As we’ve seen, these assets have made him more valuable as the primary focus.
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Let’s talk about those around him
The situation that Nigel Williams-Goss has found himself in with Zalgiris Kaunas looked to have challenges. He was their big signing, the one they spent big on, this off-season. A more foolish club would have just said plug and play because of the obvious talent they were signing.
Zalgiris are not foolish. They already had Sylvain Francisco, one of the finest creators on this side of the Atlantic. The addition of Maodo Lo was inspired. Putting both of these pieces in a situation with Williams-Goss allowed the big signing to thrive. It was making him most capable of being his best self without cannibalising production.
Add in Moses Wright, who had no shortage of motivation, and it is all coming together beautifully. The one piece that will irk some Zalgiris fans but does matter is Azuolas Tubelis. His athletic big-man game will work well off Williams-Goss. For those unaware, as a teenager Tubelis said not so nice things about the Kaunas club. If we were all held to such a standard, we’d all be dull.
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It can fit in with the boring bits
Zalgiris Kaunas could not have objectively started the season off any better. Wins over the sides that played last season’s Euroleague final are basically the peak. Let’s get a bit more conservative for a moment. The fundamental for Zalgiris this season is win the home games and get what they can on the road.
Grinding it out is something that Nigel Williams-Goss has become more comfortable with over the years. When you’re not the lead guy, you’re somewhat expected to do the less glamorous jobs. Zalgiris have a primary option that can do all that digging and grinding while still being the guy for them.
It’s just a wonderful thing to see really. At Olympiacos, Williams-Goss was appreciated and found a way to be a key contributor. With their roster and style of play, there wasn’t a route to be the guy. When he made the move this off-season, it wasn’t for vanity. The pay bump helped but he’s now in a position where being the best version of himself is exactly what his side needs.
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