Miami Heat: Malik Williams signs 10-day with Raptors

Sioux Falls Skyforce big man Malik Williams has signed a 10-day contract with the Toronto Raptors, NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic first reported Wednesday.

The Toronto Raptors are signing center Malik Williams to a 10-day contract out of the NBA G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce, agent Brian Jungreis of Seros Partners tells @TheAthletic @Stadium. The 6-11 big man has averaged 11.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks for Sioux Falls.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 3, 2024

There are 11 days left in the NBA’s regular season, so bottom-tier teams adding top-end G-League talent at this stage isn’t surprising. This was a very well-deserved contract for Williams, who went undrafted out of Louisville in the 2022 NBA Draft.

The 25-year-old is the Skyforce’s fifth player to sign an NBA contract this season–joining Drew Peterson (Boston Celtics; two-way), Julian Champagnie (Washington Wizards, 10-day that turned into a two-way), Alondes Williams (Heat; two-way) and Jamaree Bouyea (San Antonio Spurs; two-way). The signing comes two days before the Skyforce’s playoff opener against the Oklahoma City Blue–the Thunder’s G-League affiliate–scheduled for Friday at 8:00 p.m. EST.

He spent the 2022-23 campaign with Anwil Wloclawek of the Polish Basketball League, where he played in 31 games (18 starts), averaging 8.1 points and 5.5 rebounds on 44.5 percent shooting. In 42 combined regular season and G-League showcase games with Sioux Falls, however, Williams averaged 10.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, shooting 42.6 percent from the floor, 31.1 percent from 3-point range and 68.4 percent from the free-throw line.

The 6-foot-11 big was arguably the team’s best rebounder this season. In 33 regular season games, he led the team in total rebounding percentage (20.5) and defensive rebounding percentage (26.6) by over two percentage points, while ranking third in offensive rebounding percentage (14.0), behind only Orlando Robinson and Isaih Moore.

It is unclear whether Orlando Robinson or Jamal Cain was with the NBA team for Friday’s game against Houston or with the G-League against the Blue, but expect Moore, veteran big Brandon McCoy and forward Manny Camper to step up in Williams’ absence.

The Raptors have lost 14 straight games and are 23-52, the fourth-worst record in the East and the sixth-worst across the Association. He will join a big man rotation led by former Heat big Kelly Olynyk and Mouhamadou Gyeye. This should be a perfect opportunity for Williams to showcase his game throughout the final seven games of 2023-24.