Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said Monday that Williams (shin) is "still a couple weeks away" from being ready for game action, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports.
Williams will likely be re-evaluated later this month before the Grizzlies potentially clear him to resume basketball activities, but he'll require some ramp-up time after he missed all of training camp and the preseason with a stress reaction in the upper portion of his left tibia. As a second-year player in 2023-24, Williams saw ample playing time for a Grizzlies squad that was decimated by injuries, finishing the season with 10.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.5 three-pointers, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks in 27.6 minutes over his 56 appearances. He should be part of the rotation when healthy, but Williams will be looking at a smaller role if the likes of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart are able to stay on the court more frequently in 2024-25.