Let's talk Robert Williams

Jingles · Post #41 » by **Jingles** » Sun Jun 30, 2019 2:14 pm

Excited to see the game slow down for this guy. The first summer and season after being drafted must be such a whirlwind as you get a crash course in...everything.

Now he gets a full off-season to get to work, understanding more of what is expected and having spent a season (I hope) soaking it all in. His physical gifts are so impressive (and that is even before he gets closer to NBA-level strength) that if he can build better awareness he is in a great position to contribute meaningful minutes.

Bigs can be a toss-up for sure but we’ve spent so much time as fans of this team watching below the rim bigs in the non-KG prime years that it’s easy to get excited about something different.

cloverleaf · Post #42 » by **cloverleaf** » Sun Jun 30, 2019 2:22 pm

mzepol wrote:The only way young players like Timelord make a significant improvement is if they get the minutes on a regular basis. And no, I'm not talking about minutes with the Red Claws. He needs to get some serious burn with the main team. I hope he gets it.

I am now hopeful that Danny will give Brad a roster that pretty much assures good miinutes for Rob.

GuyClinch · Post #43 » by **GuyClinch** » Sun Jun 30, 2019 3:03 pm

Elrod is Back wrote:If Timelord gets rotation minutes that will be a colossal victory. Right now we have little reason to believe Brad thinks he can play at all, despite his obvious tools. I am rooting for the guy. His tools are incredible. But like all big men, it is unclear how much he loves the game, how much of a competitor he is, how hard he is willing to work.

You never have to worry about that with little guys. If Carsen Edwards or Tremont Waters weren't hyper-competitive basketball junkies they'd have never made it this far. When you are a 6-9 or taller and a gifted athlete, you can coast a long way before your lack of love for the game, work ethic, and competitive drive catches up to you. NBA history is littered with talented 7 footers who just didn't like basketball or to compete that much.

The jury is still out on Timelord in this regard. But it won't be for long. Let's hope he is just a small town kid who has a fire burning inside him.

Great Post! Yes this is the problem with big men. When you have tools like he does - it's just very easy to coast in life and in hoops. It's not even that he might be a hard drinker or anything that extreme - just unwilling to put in the kind of effort needed which is pretty tremendous - do not get me wrong.

tombattor · Post #44 » by **tombattor** » Sun Jun 30, 2019 5:45 pm

GuyClinch wrote:
Elrod is Back wrote:If Timelord gets rotation minutes that will be a colossal victory. Right now we have little reason to believe Brad thinks he can play at all, despite his obvious tools. I am rooting for the guy. His tools are incredible. But like all big men, it is unclear how much he loves the game, how much of a competitor he is, how hard he is willing to work.

You never have to worry about that with little guys. If Carsen Edwards or Tremont Waters weren't hyper-competitive basketball junkies they'd have never made it this far. When you are a 6-9 or taller and a gifted athlete, you can coast a long way before your lack of love for the game, work ethic, and competitive drive catches up to you. NBA history is littered with talented 7 footers who just didn't like basketball or to compete that much.

The jury is still out on Timelord in this regard. But it won't be for long. Let's hope he is just a small town kid who has a fire burning inside him.

Great Post! Yes this is the problem with big men. When you have tools like he does - it's just very easy to coast in life and in hoops. It's not even that he might be a hard drinker or anything that extreme - just unwilling to put in the kind of effort needed which is pretty tremendous - do not get me wrong.

Vin Baker?

cloverleaf · Post #45 » by **cloverleaf** » Sun Jun 30, 2019 6:28 pm

Jingles wrote:Excited to see the game slow down for this guy. The first summer and season after being drafted must be such a whirlwind as you get a crash course in...everything.

Now he gets a full off-season to get to work, understanding more of what is expected and having spent a season (I hope) soaking it all in. His physical gifts are so impressive (and that is even before he gets closer to NBA-level strength) that if he can build better awareness he is in a great position to contribute meaningful minutes.

Bigs can be a toss-up for sure but we’ve spent so much time as fans of this team watching below the rim bigs in the non-KG prime years that it’s easy to get excited about something different.

That he's staying around and working out with the other guys and oversight from the C's is a great sign. I don't really care whether he loves the game or just brings a workpail attitude to it. But the positive report from Gordon is another great sign, as are the rumblings about the C's frontcourt plans.

Cyclical · Post #46 » by **Cyclical** » Tue Jul 2, 2019 6:02 am

"There's a lot of opportunity that I'm out here grinding for. Putting in the work."

Watch on YouTube

cloverleaf · Post #47 » by **cloverleaf** » Tue Jul 2, 2019 8:12 am

Just looking at his face, it appears that he has slimmed down a fair amount from last season. Could give him some more quickness, for sure.

Gomes3PC · Post #48 » by **Gomes3PC** » Tue Jul 2, 2019 10:20 am

GuyClinch wrote:
Elrod is Back wrote:If Timelord gets rotation minutes that will be a colossal victory. Right now we have little reason to believe Brad thinks he can play at all, despite his obvious tools. I am rooting for the guy. His tools are incredible. But like all big men, it is unclear how much he loves the game, how much of a competitor he is, how hard he is willing to work.

You never have to worry about that with little guys. If Carsen Edwards or Tremont Waters weren't hyper-competitive basketball junkies they'd have never made it this far. When you are a 6-9 or taller and a gifted athlete, you can coast a long way before your lack of love for the game, work ethic, and competitive drive catches up to you. NBA history is littered with talented 7 footers who just didn't like basketball or to compete that much.

The jury is still out on Timelord in this regard. But it won't be for long. Let's hope he is just a small town kid who has a fire burning inside him.

Great Post! Yes this is the problem with big men. When you have tools like he does - it's just very easy to coast in life and in hoops. It's not even that he might be a hard drinker or anything that extreme - just unwilling to put in the kind of effort needed which is pretty tremendous - do not get me wrong.

I never got the sense that it was a lack of passion from Williams. When he is out on the court, he plays with a ton of energy, especially on defense.

Where his "lack of passion" may show up in his willingness (or lack thereof) to learn the nuances of NBA floor spacing and NBA rotations. It takes a lot of hard work for young guys to learn how to do that - it's not college where you can just stand in the middle of a zone and swat guys who run right into you, and you (mostly) can't make a career off just chasing offensive rebounds and putbacks.

I'll be massively disappointed if Timelord can't find his way into 15 MPG this year. He's our best bet to defend true low post scoring threats and I think he can be an asset offensively if used the right way.

zoyathedestroya · Post #49 » by **zoyathedestroya** » Thu Jul 4, 2019 5:26 pm

Please beat Kanter for the starting center spot. Thanks.

ZeroTolerance · Post #50 » by **ZeroTolerance** » Thu Jul 4, 2019 5:42 pm

Gomes3PC wrote:
GuyClinch wrote:
Elrod is Back wrote:If Timelord gets rotation minutes that will be a colossal victory. Right now we have little reason to believe Brad thinks he can play at all, despite his obvious tools. I am rooting for the guy. His tools are incredible. But like all big men, it is unclear how much he loves the game, how much of a competitor he is, how hard he is willing to work.

You never have to worry about that with little guys. If Carsen Edwards or Tremont Waters weren't hyper-competitive basketball junkies they'd have never made it this far. When you are a 6-9 or taller and a gifted athlete, you can coast a long way before your lack of love for the game, work ethic, and competitive drive catches up to you. NBA history is littered with talented 7 footers who just didn't like basketball or to compete that much.

The jury is still out on Timelord in this regard. But it won't be for long. Let's hope he is just a small town kid who has a fire burning inside him.

Great Post! Yes this is the problem with big men. When you have tools like he does - it's just very easy to coast in life and in hoops. It's not even that he might be a hard drinker or anything that extreme - just unwilling to put in the kind of effort needed which is pretty tremendous - do not get me wrong.

I never got the sense that it was a lack of passion from Williams. When he is out on the court, he plays with a ton of energy, especially on defense.

Where his "lack of passion" may show up in his willingness (or lack thereof) to learn the nuances of NBA floor spacing and NBA rotations. It takes a lot of hard work for young guys to learn how to do that - it's not college where you can just stand in the middle of a zone and swat guys who run right into you, and you (mostly) can't make a career off just chasing offensive rebounds and putbacks.

I'll be massively disappointed if Timelord can't find his way into 15 MPG this year. He's our best bet to defend true low post scoring threats and I think he can be an asset offensively if used the right way.

I know one thing...the longer he sits at the end of the bench, the less interest he is likely to have....It's just human nature...

Secondly, the best way to learn is to just do it....

zoyathedestroya · Post #51 » by **zoyathedestroya** » Sun Jul 7, 2019 11:48 am

Watch on YouTube

cloverleaf · Post #52 » by **cloverleaf** » Sun Jul 7, 2019 11:57 am

zoyathedestroya wrote:

Watch on YouTube

That dude can play.

Steal by Bird · Post #53 » by **Steal by Bird** » Sun Jul 7, 2019 1:34 pm

I think they obviously make the playoffs as is, what will giving him time prevent? Kanters development? He is what he is. Trying out a 3 at the 5? Weather it’s this year or next year, to get to the finals or have any hope of competing there, Boston needs a functional defensive center. Kanter is not it. I just don’t any options other then to give him soon run.

DAs drafting of big men has been horrible. Stiffs, bigs who play small, and fat lazy slobs. His free agent targets were curious this year. Williams is the first guy I can think of in a long time that has actual promise to be an NBA center.

cloverleaf · Post #54 » by **cloverleaf** » Sun Jul 7, 2019 1:52 pm

Steal by Bird wrote:I think they obviously make the playoffs as is, what will giving him time prevent? Kanters development? He is what he is. Trying out a 3 at the 5? Weather it’s this year or next year, to get to the finals or have any hope of competing there, Boston needs a functional defensive center. Kanter is not it. I just don’t any options other then to give him soon run.

DAs drafting of big men has been horrible. Stiffs, bigs who play small, and fat lazy slobs. His free agent targets were curious this year. Williams is the first guy I can think of in a long time that has actual promise to be an NBA center.

So true. He started well with AlJeff and Perk, then had a very long dry spell where he was lucky to get about average for the pick in the draft (with Sully and KO). Rob is his first chance to have bagged a plus big for the pick in 15 years. (Possibly Tacko too if you count his potential for being undrafted.)

Post #55 » by **darrendaye** » Sun Jul 7, 2019 3:18 pm

That steal, gather, and drive was absolutely beautiful. I'm one of the bigger Robert Williams supporters on this board. Not that I trust him yet, but it's clear to see his path to making a significant impact on the team.

I was praying Ainge would draft Mitchell Robinson in 2018. Robert Williams was the "oh, he's still available too" guy for me. Robinson's advantage over Williams is his perimeter shot prospects and that he blocks shots using his left hand. Robinson is taller, but Williams has the same or better standing reach. Williams' advantage is his body control and prospects as a ball handler and distributor. But for that to flourish, his perimeter shooting game has to evolve and we all have reason to question whether he will be hungry enough to really put the work in that will be needed.

Random Observations
Even though the results were poor, I'm glad he attempted a couple of mid range shots in this summer league game. He certainly had more moments of trotting up the court than I'd like to see. But when engaged, he really gets after it. A subtle but enticing trait he possesses is the "pop" he has in making passes. He had the whip pass to Grant, but if you pay attention you'll notice that most if not all of his passes have zip on them. I did pick up one instance of him using his left hand to block a shot. To hammer home the body control point, notice how easily he gets low to the floor when he has to gather the ball after he jumped the passing lane for the steal. He also drove on the floor twice for loose balls. I point this out not only as more visual evidence of the "grace" in which he moves but also to highlight that, yes, the guy showed evidence of hustle that we all are craving to see more frequently.

Post #56 » by **darrendaye** » Sun Jul 7, 2019 3:23 pm

cloverleaf wrote:Just looking at his face, it appears that he has slimmed down a fair amount from last season. Could give him some more quickness, for sure.

It's more about stamina.

GregB · Post #57 » by **GregB** » Sun Jul 7, 2019 3:28 pm

Robert looked solid in spurts. But Phillys two way contract blocked him a couple times too in the post.

Looks like Williams will be competing for primary backup spot. Can’t see us not starting Kanter.

Ben-N1ce · Post #58 » by **Ben-N1ce** » Sun Jul 7, 2019 3:34 pm

Ultra athletic. Has a good feel for passing but not the rest of the game. Offensively not skilled at putting it in the hoop.

ddb · Post #59 » by **ddb** » Sun Jul 7, 2019 3:35 pm

Robert Williams just looks like he is gonna be a good pro. I get that feel with him. I think this season he will show us some more flashes of who he can become in this league, and I think by next season (3rd year) he will really start to blossom.

Sent from my SM-G960U using RealGM mobile app

cloverleaf · Post #60 » by **cloverleaf** » Sun Jul 7, 2019 3:54 pm

darrendaye wrote:
cloverleaf wrote:Just looking at his face, it appears that he has slimmed down a fair amount from last season. Could give him some more quickness, for sure.

It's more about stamina.

These half-dozen games ought to get him into much better game shape. Then they just need to manage the rest of his offseason right. I'd like to see them arrange for him and Tacko to go out to LA for a few weeks to work out with KG and play the high-level offseason NBA pickup games apparently available out there.

(And yeah, I realize some people would be afraid that KG would reduce him to putty.)