The J-Notes
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Will the Utah Jazz produce another diamond in the rough in 2019-20?

By Jared Woodcox

ATHENS, GREECE - APRIL 05: Nigel Williams-Goss, #3 of Olympiacos Piraeus competes with Muhammed Baygul, #5 of Darussafaka Tekfen Istanbul during the 2018/2019 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 30 game between Olympiacos Piraeus and Darussafaka Tekfen Istanbul at Peace and Friendship Stadium on April 5, 2019 in Athens, Greece. (Photo by Panagiotis Moschandreou/EB via Getty Images)
ATHENS, GREECE - APRIL 05: Nigel Williams-Goss, #3 of Olympiacos Piraeus competes with Muhammed Baygul, #5 of Darussafaka Tekfen Istanbul during the 2018/2019 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 30 game between Olympiacos Piraeus and Darussafaka Tekfen Istanbul at Peace and Friendship Stadium on April 5, 2019 in Athens, Greece. (Photo by Panagiotis Moschandreou/EB via Getty Images) /
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Utah Jazz Nigel Williams-Goss
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 8: Nigel Williams-Goss #0 of the Utah Jazz handles the ball against Pat Connaughton #5 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2017 Summer League on July 8, 2017 at Cox Pavillion in Las Vegas, Nevada. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Nigel Williams-Goss

Nigel Williams-Goss is a familiar name among Jazz fans even if he’s never officially suited up for the squad. He was a second-round pick back in 2017 and played on Utah’s Summer League team. Unable to make the final roster, though, he’s spent the last couple years hooping it up overseas with the Jazz retaining his rights.

However, with other teams purportedly interested in the young guard, the Jazz opted to give him a chance back on their roster and signed him to a three-year contract that’s guaranteed, at least initially. So, no, this isn’t just a camp deal, Williams-Goss will be on the roster once the season gets underway.

And while many fans have expressed concern with his lack of athleticism and the early shortcomings he showed in Summer League two seasons ago, there’s definitely a lot of reason to believe he could be Utah’s next diamond in the rough. For one thing, he was prolific with his overseas teams, first Partizan then Olympicaos and improved dramatically as a decision-maker and a shooter.

Last season he shot a solid 38.4 percent from deep, adding an additional perimeter threat for the Jazz. The year before that, he led Partizan to the Serbian Cup while netting 17.4 points per game to go along with seven assists.

The Jazz were definitely happy with the progress they saw and were ready to bring him back to the organization that drafted him. In a recent piece for UtahJazz.com from Aaron Falk, several aspects of Nigel’s game were pointed out. But none stood out to me as much as this quote from Dennis Lindsey:

"“All NBA players are motivated,but our fans will soon see he’s in the top one percent in terms of competitiveness and intelligence and motivation.”"

That right there is one of the leading signals that Williams-Goss could very well turn out to be a diamond in the rough. You can teach many skills and improve talents, but competitiveness and a willingness to work simply aren’t learned. If NWG has those in his wheelhouse, there’s no limit to what he can accomplish.

He’ll face an uphill battle as he battles with Emmanuel Mudiay, who has significantly more NBA experience, for the third point guard spot behind Mike Conley and Dante Exum. But if Williams-Goss can combine improved shooting with his already solid basketball IQ and work ethic, he could very well blossom into the next unforeseen contributor for the Jazz.

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