Let's talk Robert Williams

[darrendaye]

Big fan of his potential. But still has too many instances of lack of putting in the effort early and relying on his athleticism to catch up. The urgency is there when the ball is in his area, but, still floats a bit too much early instead of getting in position to deter. And I'm the only one who really harps on it, and it is a minor detail, but I really wish someone would put attention on learning to use his left to block shots. Going across his body causes more fouls and missed block opportunities. Also will help keep a few more blocks in play rather than spiked out of bounds.

[Fencer reregistered]

Gonna be weird to integrate him into what we do when he isn't a threat to score outside of 10 feet. I don't blame Rob for that but we have historically not catered to bigs who don't stretch or at least shoot jumpers out beyond 18 feet. Funny thing is I don't think it remotely hurts us to have a guy play the way he does in our offense I just don't see Brad sticking with him for long stretches because of it. He's kinda addicted to his philosophy. But who the f knows the big man rotation is wide open and will be all year.

Agreed. But the screen and roll threat is pretty helpful, too. When we go small, we have nobody as a threat to roll to the hoop. If he can be in the right spots on D, and get to Baynes level on screen/roll this year, I'll be quite pleased.

A sufficiently good passing big man can participate in a good offense without being much of a scorer personally. Dennis Rodman is the extreme example. Partial examples on the Celtics include Bill Walton and late-career Bill Russell.

[cloverleaf]

Big fan of his potential. But still has too many instances of lack of putting in the effort early and relying on his athleticism to catch up. The urgency is there when the ball is in his area, but, still floats a bit too much early instead of getting in position to deter. And I'm the only one who really harps on it, and it is a minor detail, but I really wish someone would put attention on learning to use his left to block shots. Going across his body causes more fouls and missed block opportunities. Also will help keep a few more blocks in play rather than spiked out of bounds.

Harping on a second-year center who didn't have elite coaching until he got to the league last year, then was limited by injury to sporadic playing time is ridiculous. He's still getting comfortable out there, has a ton of potential, has clearly been working hard and learning fast and has put up monster stats to date.

Three games in he is leading the team in WS and WS/48, VORP, PER, TS%, defensive and total BPM, and steal %. He's second on the team behind Tacko's 4 minutes in rebounding rate, third on the team in asst %, 2nd in block %, leading the team in ORtg and 2nd behind Tacko's 4 minutes in DRtg.

Stevens put him in to start the first preseason game and it is looking like he's headed to being a perfect complementary starting center for them this season.

Nitpicking his development at this point just looks pathetic.

[Fencer reregistered]

Big fan of his potential. But still has too many instances of lack of putting in the effort early and relying on his athleticism to catch up. The urgency is there when the ball is in his area, but, still floats a bit too much early instead of getting in position to deter. And I'm the only one who really harps on it, and it is a minor detail, but I really wish someone would put attention on learning to use his left to block shots. Going across his body causes more fouls and missed block opportunities. Also will help keep a few more blocks in play rather than spiked out of bounds.

Harping on a second-year center who didn't have elite coaching until he got to the league last year, then was limited by injury to sporadic playing time is ridiculous. He's still getting comfortable out there, has a ton of potential, has clearly been working hard and learning fast and has put up monster stats to date.

Three games in he is leading the team in WS and WS/48, VORP, PER, TS%, defensive and total BPM, and steal %. He's second on the team behind Tacko's 4 minutes in rebounding rate, third on the team in asst %, 2nd in block %, leading the team in ORtg and 2nd behind Tacko's 4 minutes in DRtg.

Stevens put him in to start the first preseason game and it is looking like he's headed to being a perfect complementary starting center for them this season.

Nitpicking his development at this point just looks pathetic.

Is it lack of "urgency", or is it a little slowness to recognize and decide what he should do?

One would be to his discredit. The other would just illustrate areas where he still needs to learn.

[cloverleaf]

Big fan of his potential. But still has too many instances of lack of putting in the effort early and relying on his athleticism to catch up. The urgency is there when the ball is in his area, but, still floats a bit too much early instead of getting in position to deter. And I'm the only one who really harps on it, and it is a minor detail, but I really wish someone would put attention on learning to use his left to block shots. Going across his body causes more fouls and missed block opportunities. Also will help keep a few more blocks in play rather than spiked out of bounds.

Harping on a second-year center who didn't have elite coaching until he got to the league last year, then was limited by injury to sporadic playing time is ridiculous. He's still getting comfortable out there, has a ton of potential, has clearly been working hard and learning fast and has put up monster stats to date.

Three games in he is leading the team in WS and WS/48, VORP, PER, TS%, defensive and total BPM, and steal %. He's second on the team behind Tacko's 4 minutes in rebounding rate, third on the team in asst %, 2nd in block %, leading the team in ORtg and 2nd behind Tacko's 4 minutes in DRtg.

Stevens put him in to start the first preseason game and it is looking like he's headed to being a perfect complementary starting center for them this season.

Nitpicking his development at this point just looks pathetic.

Is it lack of "urgency", or is it a little slowness to recognize and decide what he should do?

One would be to his discredit. The other would just illustrate areas where he still needs to learn.

A lack of "urgency"? Are you implying laziness? By all accounts he has worked hard and he both learns and reacts fast on the court.


If anything people were bashing him for too many fouls because he was too aggressive in his first game.

But he's still learning. His position usually takes the most time and most physical maturity to play well in the league. Again, he had mediocre coaching and then was dealing with injury last year. There's something ugly about the eagerness of some posters to label him directly or indirectly as lazy or stupid.

[JHTruth]

Harping on a second-year center who didn't have elite coaching until he got to the league last year, then was limited by injury to sporadic playing time is ridiculous. He's still getting comfortable out there, has a ton of potential, has clearly been working hard and learning fast and has put up monster stats to date.

Three games in he is leading the team in WS and WS/48, VORP, PER, TS%, defensive and total BPM, and steal %. He's second on the team behind Tacko's 4 minutes in rebounding rate, third on the team in asst %, 2nd in block %, leading the team in ORtg and 2nd behind Tacko's 4 minutes in DRtg.

Stevens put him in to start the first preseason game and it is looking like he's headed to being a perfect complementary starting center for them this season.

Nitpicking his development at this point just looks pathetic.

Is it lack of "urgency", or is it a little slowness to recognize and decide what he should do?

One would be to his discredit. The other would just illustrate areas where he still needs to learn.

A lack of "urgency"? Are you implying laziness? By all accounts he has worked hard and he both learns and reacts fast on the court.


If anything people were bashing him for too many fouls because he was too aggressive in his first game.

But he's still learning. His position usually takes the most time and most physical maturity to play well in the league. Again, he had mediocre coaching and then was dealing with injury last year. There's something ugly about the eagerness of some posters to label him directly or indirectly as lazy or stupid.

I can't believe how many people love to bash Rob. Last night was his first real start and the first time he's played more than 20 mins. He was plus 8. He will make some mistakes, but defensively C is the hardest position to play in the league by some ways. He is our best player so far on a per minute basis. His defensive numbers are insane..

[darrendaye]

Big fan of his potential. But still has too many instances of lack of putting in the effort early and relying on his athleticism to catch up. The urgency is there when the ball is in his area, but, still floats a bit too much early instead of getting in position to deter. And I'm the only one who really harps on it, and it is a minor detail, but I really wish someone would put attention on learning to use his left to block shots. Going across his body causes more fouls and missed block opportunities. Also will help keep a few more blocks in play rather than spiked out of bounds.

Harping on a second-year center who didn't have elite coaching until he got to the league last year, then was limited by injury to sporadic playing time is ridiculous. He's still getting comfortable out there, has a ton of potential, has clearly been working hard and learning fast and has put up monster stats to date.

Three games in he is leading the team in WS and WS/48, VORP, PER, TS%, defensive and total BPM, and steal %. He's second on the team behind Tacko's 4 minutes in rebounding rate, third on the team in asst %, 2nd in block %, leading the team in ORtg and 2nd behind Tacko's 4 minutes in DRtg.

Stevens put him in to start the first preseason game and it is looking like he's headed to being a perfect complementary starting center for them this season.

Nitpicking his development at this point just looks pathetic.

LOL. I've generally been one of the guy's bigger advocates on here. I don't post much anymore, but my Robert Williams post/overall post ratio is pretty high. I'll take the label "pathetic" here with pride. I see what I see. Nitpicking is a part of the development process. He's taken gradual steps and I definitely see an uptick, but I'm not watching the guy with the intent on him proving my preconceptions wrong, I'm doing so as a fan of his. I stand by what I wrote and you're approach surely doesn't lend itself to opening up respectful dialogue about it.

[Fencer reregistered]

Is it lack of "urgency", or is it a little slowness to recognize and decide what he should do?

One would be to his discredit. The other would just illustrate areas where he still needs to learn.

A lack of "urgency"? Are you implying laziness? By all accounts he has worked hard and he both learns and reacts fast on the court.


If anything people were bashing him for too many fouls because he was too aggressive in his first game.

But he's still learning. His position usually takes the most time and most physical maturity to play well in the league. Again, he had mediocre coaching and then was dealing with injury last year. There's something ugly about the eagerness of some posters to label him directly or indirectly as lazy or stupid.

I can't believe how many people love to bash Rob. Last night was his first real start and the first time he's played more than 20 mins. He was plus 8. He will make some mistakes, but defensively C is the hardest position to play in the league by some ways. He is our best player so far on a per minute basis. His defensive numbers are insane..

I'm strongly inclined to the favorable view.

I also note that both Williamses are excellent passers from the middle of the halfcourt. Between that and their screensetting, I have hope that this similarity could make it easier for the offense -- actually, I want to say both "gel" and "flow", the contradiction between those metaphors notwithstanding.

[nabbs]

Once Rob gets more game reps and Stevens trusts him out there, I really wonder what a Smart/Brown/Hayward/Tatum/Grant/WIlliams looks like. Feel like you have rim protection with Bob and a legit lob threat that makes defending the PnR hard. You have ball movers and playmakers in the form of Grant/Smart/Hayward out there and you can stretch the floor enough.

[darrendaye]

Once Rob gets more game reps and Stevens trusts him out there, I really wonder what a Smart/Brown/Hayward/Tatum/Grant/WIlliams looks like. Feel like you have rim protection with Bob and a legit lob threat that makes defending the PnR hard. You have ball movers and playmakers in the form of Grant/Smart/Hayward out there and you can stretch the floor enough.

Once his offense is actualized, Williams will be a playmaker too. He has good court awareness, beautifully crisp passes, already an ability to anticipate and, though he hasn't shown it early this season, handles the ball quite well for his size. I look forward to seeing him fake handoff and drive as the season goes on.

[floyd]

Once Rob gets more game reps and Stevens trusts him out there, I really wonder what a Smart/Brown/Hayward/Tatum/Grant/WIlliams looks like. Feel like you have rim protection with Bob and a legit lob threat that makes defending the PnR hard. You have ball movers and playmakers in the form of Grant/Smart/Hayward out there and you can stretch the floor enough.

So 6 on 5? I like it. Something Belichick would come up with.

[31to6]

I continue to be reasonably tantalized

[VeryMuchWoke]

Rob just needs to learn proper defensive technique and the guy will be a monster. He tends to do things like turn and chase rather than sliding his feet, he just gets away with it a fair amount because he's so athletic.

[Fencer reregistered]

Once Rob gets more game reps and Stevens trusts him out there, I really wonder what a Smart/Brown/Hayward/Tatum/Grant/WIlliams looks like. Feel like you have rim protection with Bob and a legit lob threat that makes defending the PnR hard. You have ball movers and playmakers in the form of Grant/Smart/Hayward out there and you can stretch the floor enough.

It sure should help getting guys open if we play 6-on-5.

[chrisab123]

Rob just needs to learn proper defensive technique and the guy will be a monster. He tends to do things like turn and chase rather than sliding his feet, he just gets away with it a fair amount because he's so athletic.

Where is Clifford Ray when you need him?

[AKFO]

Rob just needs to learn proper defensive technique and the guy will be a monster. He tends to do things like turn and chase rather than sliding his feet, he just gets away with it a fair amount because he's so athletic.

Also just doesn’t anticipate like he should or like he does on offense. He should be ready to help when he sees a teammate get beat or when his assignment isn’t a threat. But he often picks those instances to take his mental breaks on defense.

He has a bit of a young Jaylen Brown problem where he has to learn to play focused on d at all times.

[chakdaddy]

Once Rob gets more game reps and Stevens trusts him out there, I really wonder what a Smart/Brown/Hayward/Tatum/Grant/WIlliams looks like. Feel like you have rim protection with Bob and a legit lob threat that makes defending the PnR hard. You have ball movers and playmakers in the form of Grant/Smart/Hayward out there and you can stretch the floor enough.

So 6 on 5? I like it. Something Belichick would come up with.

Blazers beat us with that one game in 08-09.

[SichtingLives]

Three games in he is leading the team in WS and WS/48, VORP, PER, TS%, defensive and total BPM, and steal %. He's second on the team behind Tacko's 4 minutes in rebounding rate, third on the team in asst %, 2nd in block %, leading the team in ORtg and 2nd behind Tacko's 4 minutes in DRtg.

Eww. Quite ridiculous to quote stats after 45 minutes of play

[cloverleaf]

Three games in he is leading the team in WS and WS/48, VORP, PER, TS%, defensive and total BPM, and steal %. He's second on the team behind Tacko's 4 minutes in rebounding rate, third on the team in asst %, 2nd in block %, leading the team in ORtg and 2nd behind Tacko's 4 minutes in DRtg.

Eww. Quite ridiculous to quote stats after 45 minutes of play

Not when this board is full of posters trashing on his first 45 minutes of play, suggesting he's hurt the team too much to get the minutes he's going to get.

[JHTruth]

Three games in he is leading the team in WS and WS/48, VORP, PER, TS%, defensive and total BPM, and steal %. He's second on the team behind Tacko's 4 minutes in rebounding rate, third on the team in asst %, 2nd in block %, leading the team in ORtg and 2nd behind Tacko's 4 minutes in DRtg.

Eww. Quite ridiculous to quote stats after 45 minutes of play

Yeah it was pretty much the same last year. Bottom line is Rob is a phenomenal defensive player and underrated offensively. Thats what the stats have said from the beginning.