NBA Draft Prospects: Terrence Williams, Louisville

Stats: 12.5 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 5.0 apg, 2.3 spg, 0.8 bpg, 2.3 t/o's, 43.1% FG, 38.5% 3PT, 58.1% FT

Listed Size: 6'6", 220 lb, 6/28/1987 (21 years old)

(photo credit: StilletoSetSports)

About Him: T-Will is one of the most interesting prospects in this year's draft class because of what he brings to the table as a player. Actually, T-Will is so intriguing because of what he doesn't bring to the table. Simply put, Williams is not a good offensive player, especially when it comes to scoring the ball. I'm not always a huge fan of advanced statistics, but these are pretty startling numbers.

For starters, T-Will's usage rate was extremely low for an NBA prospect - just 14.1 possessions per game (by comparison, Jodie Meeks had a usage rate of 21 possessions per game). He wasn't terribly efficient either, scoring just .87 PPP (points per possession) overall. While Williams proved to be a much improved shooter as the season progressed (he finished the year hitting 38% from deep), he still scored just 1.12 PPP on catch and shoot jumpers and an astonishingly low .58 PPP on pull-ups. He wasn't all that impressive getting to the basket either, scoring just 1.11 PPP at the rim (exactly average for NBA two-guard prospects), scoring just .61 PPP in 1-on-1 isolations, and getting fouled on only 9% of his possessions used. Perhaps the number that stands out the most is his 15.4% shooting when he went to his left (credit for all these stats goes too Synergy Sports).

What does all that tell us? Well, nothing we don't already know. When Williams is selected on June 25th, it is not going to be because he is an excellent scorer. He's not. But he is an incredibly versatile player and a phenomenal athlete (watch his highlights below - the guy is guaranteed to be in a dunk contest one day). Because of his athleticism, his skill that projects the most favorably to the NBA is his defense. He is big and strong with long arms and great explosiveness. He really has a knack for getting into passing lanes and disrupting an offense. We don't know as much about his man-to-man ability (Louisville played a lot of zone), but he should not have a problem at the next level.

The other skill that most scouts will notice is his playmaking ability. T-Will averaged 5.0 apg with an a/to ratio of better than 2:1. He has a great court sense and excellent vision, which meant that he made a lot of gorgeous no-look passes during his time at Louisville. But that did cause some problems, as he seemed to be penetrating to pass way too often. With his size and athleticism, he should have been much more adept at getting to the rim and finishing than he actually was. One of the reasons that Williams didn't attack the basket as much as scouts would have liked is that his handle is not all that great, especially with his left hand. He does not have a lot of advanced moves in his repertiore, and instead relied on his blinding first step to get him by his defender.

The other thing Williams does very will is rebound, snagging 8.6 rpg this past season. He reads the flight of the ball very well, especially on the defensive glass, and his athleticism allows him to get to caroms well out of his area.

Comparisons: Best Case: Andre Iguodala; Worst Case: Tony Allen.

Bottom Line: Unless his offensive game really comes around, T-Will will likely never be a star at this level. But with how much he brings to the table - his versatility as a player and defender (he can guard three spots at the NBA level) - he should be able to hang around the league as a solid role player, maybe even playing some point forward. He looks like a mid-to-late first rounder at this point.

Highlights:





Continue reading...

Terrence Williams think the ACC is soft, but is the ACC better than the Big East?

Came across this little diddy from the Sporting News. In an interview with Bill Eichenberger, T-Will was a bit critical of the sissy finesse style of play in the ACC:

Q: Where do you stand on the debate about which conference--the Big East or ACC--is college basketball's best?

A: The Big East. I don't know how you could even ask that. That's easy. That's not even a question.

Q: Why is that?

A: Look how physical we are. The ACC, that's not physical. Our last-place team in the Big East could win in the ACC. We're the toughest conference.

T-Will thinks the ACC is soft.
(photo credit: worldwideball.com)

The date on this interview is Feb. 12th, which means it is safe to assume that Williams made these statements before his team was blown out by 33 by a Notre Dame team that had previously lost seven in a row.

The Irish also lost to UNC earlier in the season.

By 15.

Aren't they in the ACC?

This quote from T-Will gives us the perfect chance to talk a little bit about who is better - the ACC or the Big East?

Simple logic tells us that these are the best two conferences in the country. For starters, they both have had four teams in or around the top ten for the last month. The conference RPI ratings (according to RealTimeRPI) has the ACC in first place and the Big East in third. Kenpom has the same breakdown (although he has the Pac-10 second as opposed to the Big Ten).

So the ACC has the advantage in the computer ratings. What about head to head?

The ACC holds an advantage there too, going 9-6 against the Big East. In games between teams that actually matter, the ACC holds a 4-3 advantage:

• UNC 102, Notre Dame 87
• BC 81, Providence 76
• Florida State 58, Cincinnati 47
  
• Duke 76, Georgetown 67
  
• UConn 76, Miami 63
  
• Seton Hall 77, Virginia Tech 73
  
• Pitt 56, Florida State 48
  

The ACC also holds the advantage in out-of-conference games as a whole. They have won 83% of their non-conference games, including a 27-18 record against BCS conference teams. The Big East has won just 78% of their games outside of the Big East, and have gone 21-20 against other BCS conference teams.

So if you believe the numbers, then it isn't hard to assume that the Big East is, in all actuality, a lesser conference than the ACC this year.

But if you read this blog, then you know that I'm not one to rely strictly on the numbers game. Me? I prefer the good-old-fashioned side-by-side comparison.

The ACC has 12 teams, and the Big East 16. The easiest way to compare these two conference is to break them into quarters, looking at the top four in the Big East versus the top three in the ACC (we are going to go based strictly off of standings in conference play):

• Top Tier: UConn, Pitt, Marquette, Louisville vs. UNC, Duke, Clemson
  
  UNC and UConn (although the Dyson injury could hurt) have asserted themselves as the clear favorites in their respective leagues, and are probably the two favorites to win it all. Louisville, Marquette, Duke and Clemson are all talented enough to make a Final Four, but each team has been inconsistent enough that losing in the first weekend isn't out of the question. Pitt is the x-factor. With DeJuan Blair on the court, they may be able to give UConn a run for their money. But when he is in foul trouble (which is far too often), Pitt is a much different team. I'm going to give the Big East the slightest of advantages right now, simply because it looks like both Pitt and UConn are going to be getting #1 seeds.
  
  
• Second Tier: Villanova, Cincinnati, Providence, Syracuse vs. Florida State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
  
  Hard to believe, but Wake Forest (currently sitting at sixth in the ACC) was #1 in the country all of three weeks ago. While the Demon Deacons have dropped four of their last six, they are still one of the most talented teams in the country and once they figure out how to score when teams pack it in on defense, they will be fine. Syracuse is in a similar situation. They are talented enough to make a Final Four run, but are dealing with injury and intensity issues right now. Villanova is playing the best basketball out of anyone in this group, but Cinci and Providence are not quite in the same league as FSU and Va Tech. Advantage ACC.
  
  
• Third Tier: West Virginia, Seton Hall, Notre Dame, Georgetown vs. Boston College, Maryland, Miami FL
  
  This one is tricky. West Virginia and BC are both tourney teams. Seton Hall and Maryland aren't. Miami and Georgetown are solidly on the bubble. Notre Dame could be too, if they continue to play like they did against Louisville instead of the way they played in the seven previous game. The question here becomes to you base your rankings on performance or on talent. The Big East has a big advantage in talent. Notre Dame and Georgetown have both reached the top 10 this year, but have been done in by poor play during a ridiculous stretch of tough games. West Virginia probably has the best resume of any team, but they still have no marquee wins to speak of (ND beat Louisville, Georgetown beat UConn, BC beat UNC, Maryland beat MSU, Miami beat Wake). I'm going to give this one to the Big East, just because I think that the Irish and the Hoyas are going to turn it around.
  
  
• Fourth Tier: St. John's, South Florida, Rutgers, DePaul vs. NC State, Virginia, Georgia Tech
  
  Advantage ACC. Why? DePaul has not won a single conference game. Rutgers only win? DePaul.
  

So the ACC has the smallest of advantages when you break the conferences down into quadrants.

Does that mean the ACC is better?

Right now, yes.

But a huge reason for that is that Notre Dame, Georgetown, and Syracuse have fallen off the face of the top ten. Why have they struggled? Because each team has played a brutal schedule in recent weeks. Do this break down a month ago, and the Big East dominates the top two tiers.

Right now, it seems that the Big East may be better at the top, but it is hard to argue against the ACC being the deeper league right now. If you believe in Joe Lunardi (which a lot of us do), then think about this - eight of the twelve ACC teams are in his newest bracket, while just seven of the sixteen Big East teams are currently dancing.

Until the under performing Big East teams turn it around, it looks as if the ACC is and will be the better conference. Continue reading...

POSTERIZED: To Make Your Youtubing Easier

I have an obsession with great dunks. Its sick, really. I can't tell you how many hours I have wasted parousing youtube, watching videos of people doing what I wish I was able to do. I don't know why I'm obsessed like this, but hey, at least you get to see some nice dunks, right?

I'll let Terrence Williams start this edition off. He put on a show against Rutgers last week. The best of the bunch is the last one.



Gavin Edwards catches an oop, and-one, on the head of Luke Harangody.



There is a reason Chris Johnson is climbing NBA Draft boards.



This is just ridiculous. What is so amazing about it to me is that he goes up for a finger roll, but in the air realizes he is high enough to put down a dunk. My favorite part of the video is the guy running around the edge of the court high-fiving fans.



DeQuan Jones had a huge block and an even more ridiculous dunk against UNC last Saturday.

Continue reading...

Terrence Williams is hurt and Robert Vaden is a moron

Some important news about a couple of important players. First off, Terrence Williams tore his medial meniscus in a pick-up game on campus, just two days before the official start of practice and mere hours after being praised by Rick Pitino at the Louisville tip-off luncheon for his work and dedication in the off-season. Williams will undergo surgery in the coming days and will be sidelined for the next 4-6 weeks. The news about the torn meniscus was actually good news for Pitino and the Cardinals:

I'm ecstatic that it's not an ACL tear as was first feared. He'll be out only a short period of time, and we know he'll come back as good as new. We're totally relieved.

If all goes according to plan and Williams is back in 4 weeks, then he should be ready to play by the time games begin and back to 100% when Big East play starts in January. T-Will is so important to this Louisville team, as he is really the only guy they have that can create for someone other than himself. I really hope that this doesn't have a negative effect on his performance for his senior year, as he is one of the most entertaining and exciting players to watch in the Big East.

Robert Vaden is a different story. Vaden, who originally attended Indiana before transferring to UAB to follow head coach Mike Davis, was back in Bloomington this past weekend. While he was there, Vaden was arrested on a preliminary charge of public intoxication. Not all that big of a deal, right? Vaden is 23 years old, and was back visiting old friends and had a few too many, meaning he spent the night in the drunk tank. By itself, really not much to talk about. Except Vaden is still on probation from a disorderly conduct charge after he and four other Blazer players were arrested after a fight outside a club in August of 2007. Now I don't know if this will violate his probation (I assume it does) or what kind of punishment he will face as a result (I assume it depends on the mood of the judge or probation officer who handles it), but I would not be surprised if he missed some games as a result. Gotta use better judgement, Bobby.

Ironically, the story about his arrest broke on the same day he was announced as the preseason player of the year in Conference USA. Vaden, a sharpshooter who averaged 21 points, 4 boards, and 3 dimes per game last year (and also put on one of the greatest shooting displays I've ever seen against Kentucky last year - seriously, watch that video, it was incredible), declared for June's NBA Draft, but withdrew his name days before the deadline. Continue reading...