LAIE, Hawaii – LJ Cryer’s right foot was encased in a layer of ice following a training camp session at BYU-Hawaii, but the second-year Warriors guard had a serene, even-keeled look across his face.
It was a stark contrast to the wide-eyed awe he felt a year ago as an undrafted rookie out of Houston. Back when he was trying to make a team that employed his childhood heroes.
“I’m definitely less starstruck,” Cryer told the Bay Area News Group. “First time around, being with Steph, Jimmy and Draymond, I grew up watching those guys, so I was like ‘Dang, I’m really up here with them.’ But this time, it’s normal.”
Now a veteran who has endured the grind of an NBA season, Cryer has a better understanding of what he needs to do in order to get minutes on the team.
The stocky 6-foot-1 guard has saw the offseason as an opportunity to allow his aching right ankle to heal. Cryer said that after being hampered by it to end the regular season, he further battled the injury through Summer League.
He spent much of the rest of the summer in San Francisco and worked with the performance staff, but was limited in what he could do.
Cryer was able to lift weights and to continue the strict diet that helped him cut weight prior to summer league, it was not until recently that he was capable of doing the kind of cardio an NBA player needs to do.
“I’ve been sitting out for a while, just letting my body recover,” Cryer said. “So it’s like my second week back on the court since summer league. I’m just trying to get my legs underneath me.”
While he is still working to get his wind back, Cryer has already laid out what his plans are for this season.
“I want to be a spark for the team, and this year I want to be available as much as possible,” Cryer said.
When he was not battling ankle injuries last season, Cryer did flash the ability to be a microwave scorer for the Warriors, earning a two-way contract after being a training camp invite.
He made 39.4% of his 3-pointers on 5.2 attempts per game. Considering the Warriors want to play a five-out system predicated on players being a threat to shoot, it is a system that suits Cryer. He shot 43% from behind the arc as a collegiate standout, and led the Big 12 in 3-point percentage in each of his final three seasons.
“I put in a lot of reps to continue to try to get better and expand my range, and get more comfortable on different types of shots,” Cryer said. “So, I mean, if I’m not a better shooter this year, I’ll be like what was I doing this summer?”
Cryer flashed the ability to make shots off the bounce, making 14 of 33 (42%) of his off the dribble 3-point attempts, and those kinds of shots could be the kind of attempts the team will ask him to take more often in year two.
The other benefit of the system is that quick ballhandlers will now have space to operate, which is where Brandon Williams enters the fray.
The 26-year-old is also only 6-foot-1, just like Cryer. But in lieu of an accurate shot – Williams shot a ghastly 23% from behind the arc in 2025-26 – he averaged 13.0 points per game last season almost exclusively as a slasher.
Williams, who attended Arizona, brings a speed element that the Warriors have lacked for years. His burst landed him in rare air with the coaching staff.
“Brandon is the fastest guy we’ve ever had here,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Leandro Barbosa was lightning, but Brandon is more on-ball, where LB was a lot more off ball.”
Williams attempted almost 60% of his shots within 10 feet of the rim, and looked like an absolute blur during the team’s open practice on Thursday.
His 4.6 free throw attempts per game in just 22 minutes a night, if it translates to the Warriors system, would give them a foul-drawing dimension that evaporated once Jimmy Butler was lost for the season.
He is not a perfect player, and his 1.9 turnovers per game will likely drive Kerr mad at times. But Williams knows what he is, and has a clear vision for how he can help the Warriors.
“For me just getting into the paint and letting my ability just dictate what to do, if that’s to score, to set up my teammates or just being a pest just by getting to the paint, I feel like I can help the team out in any regard,” Williams said.
Though Williams and the healing Cryer are stark opposites as players, and each are on minimum contracts, both could enjoy roles that far outpace their compensation.
Steph Curry is expected to miss games this season as the team manages his aging knee that cost him almost 30 games last season. Asking two unheralded and undersized guards to occasionally replace his production in the aggregate?
That could be the play for a Warriors team in search of a fresh identity.
“We felt like we needed some speed, quickness to break down the defense, particularly in the games that Steph misses,” Kerr said recently. “I think LJ Cryer is also making big strides and has a chance to play.”
Practice notes
— Kerr did not have any further update on Kristaps Porzingis, who is not with the team as he deals with what the team is calling a “health issue.” Porzingis played in only 15 games with the Warriors last season, and has publicly spoken about his battle with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).
— Georges Niang has played forward for his entire career, but got minutes as a smallball center during Thursday’s scrimmage. On Friday, he said, “If you want playing time, you figure out where and how to be comfortable, and make it work.”