Nate Williams said fatigue was not a factor after the Golden State Warriors’ 127-113 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night at Chase Center. “Not tired at all. I love this,” Williams said after playing extended minutes in a depleted rotation.
Williams said the challenge is exactly what he wants as he tries to establish himself in the league. “As a player trying to make it in this league and take advantage of players, that’s what you have to do,” he said. “If you want to make a name for yourself, you have to be on the floor. You have to be on the stage.”
The guard said he views his role as a chance to prove value to Golden State and the rest of the NBA. “Just being out there, put myself on audience, that’s what it’s all about,” Williams said. “Just my toughness. You know, I can help a team win. I can do things that other guys are not willing to do nowadays.”
Williams did not hold back when describing the edge he believes he brings. “I feel like me personally, I’m a dying breed in the NBA,” he said. “Guys are not tough no more. It’s a lot of soft guys around the league. So I think I could bring toughness and I can actually hoop too, for sure.”
Golden State was missing multiple regulars, and Williams said the group’s approach never changed. “We competed,” he said. “We kept calling back kind of 10, 15, or whatever range and trying to make it a game.”
That effort came against Victor Wembanyama, who scored 41 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for San Antonio. Williams kept his assessment simple when asked about the Spurs star: “He’s a great player.”
The game also featured a heavy workload for Williams, who logged 47 minutes while the Warriors tried to patch together lineups around injuries. He said the team’s mindset is built on accountability, not excuses.
“We just kept competing and being scrappy,” Williams said. “That’s who we’ve been, really, no excuses.”
He said the Warriors can still gain something from nights like this, even in defeat. “Going out there with who we have every night and competing and trying to get better,” Williams said. “That mentality of not feeling sorry for yourself, it’ll pay off eventually.”
