Hal14 wrote:winsomme2 wrote:Hal14 wrote:1) "Wieskamp has a chance to be a better version of Connaughton" better at what? Connaughton is a knock down shooter with a significant edge over Wieskamp in terms of a) strength, solid build, toughness (the dude is a tough SOB), a rock solid 6'5", 209 lbs compared to Wieskamp who's 6'7" but only 204 lbs, even Spinella's scouting report video on Wieskamp talks about his lack of strength as a weakness and b) defensively Connaughton is very solid, definitely not a liability, he is switchable and did a solid job defending Booker in the finals, a dude who is very difficult to guard - again, Wieskamp appears at this point to be likely a defensive liability
2) If Wieskamp is not close to Robinson-level defensively, then how can you possibly say Wieskamp is better than Robinson? Again, Wieskamp was a lights out shooter in college and it remains to be seen whether his shooting can translate to the NBA with bigger, faster defenders, more switching schemes and a 3 point line that's further away. Robinson meanwhile has proven at the NBA level for the past 2 yrs in a row that he's one of the elite shooters in the NBA - other than Curry and Klay, Robinson is probably the best shooter in the game. Inside scoring-wise, I don't see Wieskamp doing anything that Robinson can't do (Wieskamp sure he might be a better dunker) and Wieskamp is a better rebounder but he also played more of a combo 3/4 type of role in college whereas Robinson is more of a combo 2/3 type of guy which means less rebounding opportunities. Again, Wieskamp's defense might make it very hard for him to crack mins for a good NBA team which is why Spinella has him down there at the no. 52 spot on his big board. Defense matters, it's 50% of basketball so must be considered.
3) I think you might be right that Grant is not a guy who should be in the rotation for a playoff team. But a) Wieskamp being a defensive liability, not a switchable defender, can't defend PnR, needs to add strength (evidence of all of this in Spinella's scouting report video on him) probably isn't a guy capable of being a regular rotation guy on a good playoff team either (at least not yet). and b) Look at Jae Crowder and look at PJ Tucker. Is it really out of the realm of possibility that Grant Williams could end up being a Crowder/Tucker type of guy?
Grant Williams = 6'6", 236 lbs. can't create off the dribble, slow, can't jump, undersized, not super athletic but a good defender who is tough, physical, gritty player who can knock down 3's and accepts his role
Jae Crowder = 6'6", 234 lbs. can't create off the dribble, slow, can't jump, undersized, not super athletic but a good defender who is tough, physical, gritty player who can knock down 3's and accepts his role
PJ Tucker = 6'5", 245 lbs. can't create off the dribble, slow, can't jump, undersized, not super athletic but a good defender who is tough, physical, gritty player who can knock down 3's and accepts his role
Crowder and Tucker were starters in the NBA finals which just happened. I'm not saying Grant is as good as them today but Grant is only 22 yrs old so still has a decent amount of room to improve and develop. He could end up being at least a slightly worse version of Crowder/Tucker which would still be a solid rotation player off the bench on a good team.
I think the stuff that Grant is weak at won't improve.
He's too slow to guard 3s and too small to guard 4s. He also has terrible hands and touch. He certainly can hang on somewhere due to what you are saying about grittiness and hard work but he just shouldn't get significant minutes here IMO.
1) I'm still not seeing what makes Crowder and Tucker that much better than Grant. Grant is basically the same size as them, just as quick (Tucker might be a little quicker....I think Grant is just as quick as Crowder though) yet Tucker and Crowder were starters in the NBA finals that just happened.
2) Some of Grant's weaknesses he can improve. He can cut down on turnovers, cut down on fouling so much, improve FT%, improve 3 point %...just get more experience and more comfortable out there which will help him make better plays overall and better decisions with the ball and become a savvy vet (a big reason why Crowder and Tucker are valuable guys), he can improve his moves off the dribble
Grant Williams biggest problem is who he plays with. He is frequently in line ups of other young inexperienced players who are best suited in a complimentary role.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/willigr01/lineups/2021
He is also 22 years old and just finished his second season and we talk about him like he is 28 and we signed to a FA contract. Jae Crowder was irrelevant until he was traded to Boston at 24 years old.
Either way this is certainly a big year for Grant.
