Gabby Williams wants to bring offseason growth back to Sky next summer

Gabby Williams believes spending last season as the Sky’s backup point guard helped her become a better forward.

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Gabby Williams believes spending last season as the Sky’s backup point guard helped her become a better forward.

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Sky guard/forward Gabby Williams is in a better spot from a mental and basketball standpoint than she was a year ago.

Last offseason, Williams had what she said was an ‘‘awful’’ experience playing in Italy. It was so bad that she switched to the Spanish club Spar Citylift Uni Girona by the end of it.

This offseason, however, Williams has found her second home with the French club Basket Lattes Montpellier Agglomeration (BLMA).

‘‘I was welcomed right away by the team,’’ said Williams, who is fluent in French because she grew up speaking it with her grandmother. ‘‘I knew some of the girls already on the team.

‘‘And then, of course, my family is Parisian. So they all got to come to my first game, so I felt right at home.’’

Feeling more comfortable in her life off the court in France has made it easier for Williams to find her groove on the court with BLMA.

Williams is splitting time at small and power forward after serving as Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot’s backup this past season. She initially dreaded the position, but it might have been the best thing for her confidence.

‘‘It makes them appreciate when they have the ball in their hands and when they don’t and how much having the ball makes you have to think about the responsibility of having it,’’ Sky coach James Wade said. ‘‘Being a point guard is not just calling plays; it’s having to think for the team.’’

Williams’ ballhandling skills and decision-making ability have come more naturally to her. She also thinks her court awareness has improved. As a result, she is averaging 13.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 10 Euroleague games.

‘‘It’s nice to see what I’ve learned this summer from being a point guard, how it’s actually helped me improve my [play at small and power forward],’’ said Williams, who averaged 5.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 33 games with the Sky this past season. ‘‘I appreciate adding to my skill set, so I do feel more comfortable handling the ball and making plays for other people. And . . . I’m just realizing everything I do, I can do from any position.’’

Such awareness is important for Williams to develop into the player the Sky hope she can be. She has struggled with the mental aspect of the game since her college days at UConn, but she is becoming a leader with BLMA.

‘‘This team is growing with me,’’ Williams said. ‘‘It’s not like I’m just here, I play for the season and that’s it. They’re really helping me develop as a team leader, and they’ve put a lot on my shoulders and put a lot of trust in me. So if I’m not mentally tough, we lose. And so it puts more pressure on my shoulders, and I have to get out of myself, get out of my head.’’

With several questions about the Sky’s 2020 roster remaining unanswered, Wade isn’t quite sure what Williams’ role with the team will be next season. What he does know is that they’ll put her in the best position to succeed. And right now, he’s happy with her offseason growth.

Williams said she thinks she could have a bigger impact on the Sky next season.

‘‘I’ve really, really been working on my shot and being more comfortable taking shots that I know I’m not going to make in order to improve,’’ she said. ‘‘Having the confidence of being able to attack from anywhere on the court and those kinds of things, I’m hoping to bring that back to Chicago.’’ 

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