You see I don't see Williams as a perimeter 4. I see him like Jeff Green as a larger 3. Actually I see a lot of similarities between the two players.
I was hopeful of Derrick Williams being able to handle the three when he came into the NBA but he has looked completely lost on both ends of the court whenever I have seen him play there. No idea how to play effective perimeter defense or how to play to his strengths offensively.
I thought Derrick Williams could become a Paul Pierce type weapon at the three. That he had enough quickness to defend the position and that he could use his size/strength to cause major matchup problems in the low to mid post areas and had a legitimate three point shot to boot. That he could become a Pierce-like scorer as a power three.
But after seeing how lost Williams is at the three for Minnesota, I don't think that is going to happen so I would be looking at him now as a power forward. He has been a lot more comfortable there. He better understands where his scoring opportunities are coming from and he plays better defense there.
I think his future in the NBA will be as an undersized quick PF.
I think his future in the NBA is pretty dismal actually. He's not a 4 and he just doesn't have the skill set to be a starting three. He's a tweener in every sense of the word and will probably have an off the bench career which will end sometime before he is 30.
Just one man's opinion. Never thought that much of him really.
Al Harrington type? Or even worse?
I think he would be lucky to ever reach the level of play of Al Harrington.
I was thinking more like Hakim Warrick
Yikes ...
I am looking at bad case scenarios (not worst case) for Williams as a slightly above average backup PF. Say a 10th-12th level backup out of the 30 primary backup PFs in the league.
I think a guy with his jump-shooting and physical talent should be able to carve out at least that much of a career for himself. I think the early signs are decent enough for him as a defender/rebounder. I think that combined with his shooting ability should allow him to be a valued rotation player as a slightly above average backup PF. As a bad case scenario.
I think Derrick Williams has enough physical strength to be more competitive defensively than guys like Hakim Warrick and Jeff Green where defensively. He can matchup better against stronger opponents than those frail combo forwards could. Plus, he seems to be a better rebounder than both of them. Below average but close enough to average not to cause serious issues
(especially when he is pulling his opposing PF away from the defensive boards with his shooting threat). As he gets more experience defensively, I think Williams should be a decent defender/rebounder. Probably a bit below average but competitive enough.
I am still hoping Derrick Williams figures out how to be more effective as as scorer. He could cause real matchup problems at either forward spot. Similar to Beasley although not as gifted. Hopefully less of a head case but early signs say he has his own mental problems. Albeit a different kind.
Topic: Source: Derrick Williams' Agent Inquires About Trade Possibility (Read 5145 times)