With the trade deadline closely approaching (today at 3 PM Eastern Standard Time) I watched last nights game versus the Philly 76ers, I pondered the future of Derrick Williams. His progress as a #2 pick in the draft has been fun to watch, and it makes me feel good to seem him do better month by month. Last night he was phenomenal in the first half, hitting open jumpers getting to the rim for passes, and often overlooked, he gets back on defense when he is the off action side man in the offense.
This getting back on defense is something worth taking note of, because he does it so much better then the injured Kevin Love. The man with the broken hand is often seen trying to get a rebound or putting up shots and then looking to the ref to complain about one thing or another as the play proceeds to slide back to the other side of the court. I love the way Williams can connect with Rubio, the way he skys for his rebounds rather then pushing away his opponent at the hip with his off-hand, and I love the way he dosen't complain when he gets taken out of games despite being the most efficient scorer for the first half ( he got put back in at the end of the 4th). Sure Pekovic and Love often outrebound him in the stats. but they also like to miss at the rim and get it back a couple time before hopefully making a layup.
When Williams makes it to the rim he is either A:going to slam home a powerful dunk B: get blocked with enought contact to make Kobe go to the line C: draw a foul, or D: miss it and hustle back on defense.
Granted there are things I don't like, someone pointed out that he wastes his explosiveness to the rim on his spin move (which he uses often enough it becomes predictable), he sets picks with very little enthusiasm. I love an energetic pick from a power forward because I feel like it makes the pick more successful and also give them some spring as they roll to the rim. The second point isn't as important in Rick Adelman's offense because there is very little rolling to the basket after setting a pick. Williams if you watch him carefully, will often camp out at the elbow 3pt line and wait for the action to swing his way so he can make a pick for the guard Often this is the only movement he is given, I don't know why he does none of the slashing we see from Kerilenko, Shved, and Gelabale. But I think given his mediocre ball handling skills (something he has and will continue to improve I believe) he is best used on offense when he is on the move or hitting spot up jumpers the way Cunningham will when he get's hot.
I think we should hold onto Derrick Williams given that besides Rubio, he has shown so more progress then both Johnny Flynn and Wesley Johnson combined. But for Derrick William's sake he should be used differently in the offense then just lingering on the perimeter setting picks and shooting 3's. Let him have the flexibility that is given Kevin Love, to create his own shot, and if he misses a lot, I think that is part of the growing pains we shall continue to go through until David Kahn is fired.
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