Former Nebraska Standout Brice Williams’ 41-Point Outburst Highlights Electric Start to Pro Career

Brice Williams needed only three professional games to remind everyone why he was one of the most electric scorers in Nebraska basketball history.

The former Husker star erupted for 41 points in a standout G League performance earlier this week, continuing a blistering start to his rookie season with the Motor City Cruise (Detroit, MI).

Now, just seven months removed from helping lead Nebraska to the inaugural College Basketball Crown, Williams is quickly proving teams wrong for letting the 6-foot-7 guard go undrafted this summer.

Detroit Pistons guard Brice Williams poses for his official head shot for the 2025-26 season. | David Reginek-Imagn Images

In case anyone forgot, with all the success Fred Hoiberg’s 2025–26 squad is enjoying, none of this surge happens without the foundation Williams helped build over his two seasons in Lincoln. The former First-Team All-Big Ten honoree averaged 16.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game after transferring from Charlotte, becoming one of, if not the most, decorated players of the Hoiberg era.

Williams’ 713 points last season not only shattered Nebraska’s single-season scoring record, but also made him just the fourth player in program history to surpass 1,000 points in two years. Across his four Division I seasons, he totaled more than 1,900 career points and established himself as one of the most prolific scorers in college basketball during his final campaign with the Big Red.

Now, as he enters a new chapter and aims to turn his hot G League start into an eventual NBA opportunity, it’s important to restate what Nebraska fans already know: none of his early professional success should come as a surprise. Williams has always had a knack for putting the ball in the basket, and three games into his pro career, he’s simply picking up where he left off in Lincoln.

41 PTS 🔥 14/20 FG 🔥 6/9 3PT

He’s no ordinary rookie! Brice Williams ERUPTED for a 40-piece in just his third professional game with the @motorcitycruise. pic.twitter.com/4FKI9kucPZ
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) November 16, 2025

Despite a dominant senior season and one of the most complete scoring résumés in college basketball, Williams still found himself on the outside of the 2025 NBA draft. The feedback from teams was consistent: while his offensive production was undeniable, evaluators questioned how much of his shot creation would translate against NBA length and athleticism. Williams even acknowledged during the pre-draft process that consistency, especially on the defensive end, was the area he was working to tighten up. And whether fair or not, he entered the draft viewed less as a "high ceiling" player and more as someone with little room to grow.

Still, anyone who watched his final season in Lincoln understands why Williams carried a quiet confidence into the start of his pro career. He’s a competitor, a lunch-pail guy, and he’s been told repeatedly by coaches, including Hoiberg himself, that he did everything he could during the pre-draft process, per Andrew Melnick of PFSN. The league may have passed on him in June, but that decision has already aged poorly. Three games into his G League career, Williams is playing like someone intent on proving that being undrafted was a mistake, and that his game, built on scoring versatility, has plenty of room to grow at the next level.

Not your average rookie.

A career-high game for Brice Williams👏 pic.twitter.com/83oNAI0CdL
— Motor City Cruise (@MotorCityCruise) November 16, 2025

Highlighted by his most recent performance, in which he scored a career-high 41 points on 70% shooting, Williams has taken the G League by storm, and it’s clear this wasn’t just a one-off performance.

In three games, the North Carolina native has already put up numbers that match or exceed his senior season at Nebraska, averaging 25.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per contest. With 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks per game as well, he’s largely silenced any concerns about being a defensive liability.

The skepticism scouts had ahead of the draft this summer increasingly looks misguided. Against professional competition, Williams is translating his collegiate success into an even more complete game at the next level. If he can sustain this level of play, don’t be surprised if he earns an opportunity to prove himself in the NBA with the Detroit Pistons rather than just their G League affiliate.

Williams has quickly made his mark in the G League, showing he belongs among professional competition while contributing on both ends of the floor. For Nebraska fans, it's easy to recognize the same scoring instincts, competitiveness, and drive that made him a star in Lincoln. If he continues this pace, a call-up to the NBA could be on the horizon, giving Williams a chance to take the next step in his career. For a player who went undrafted but never let that slow him down, the question now isn’t if he can succeed, it’s how far he can go.

With that in mind, keep your eye out for a potential NBA debut. The sample size is small, but telling, and if he continues this hot stretch into the coming months, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him on the game's biggest stage. Regardless of that, one thing is certain: Brice Williams is determined to turn every doubt into an opportunity, and he’s just getting started.

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