NBA Draft Prospects: Elliot Williams, Memphis

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Stats: 17.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.3 spg, 36.6% 3PT, 45.9% FG

Size:

• Listed: 6'4", 175 lb, 21 yrs old
  
• Combine: Did not attend (injury)

About Him: After watching Elliot Williams ride the bench at Duke for much of his freshman season, you would be hard-pressed to believe that the sophomore swingman was considered a potential first round pick. But after averaging over 17 ppg as the focal point of the Memphis offense last season, that's exactly what Williams has become.

Offensively, Williams' game is based almost completely on his quickness. The 6'4", 175 lb, Williams has a tremendous first step and is excellent at beating his defender. This first step is part of the reason he is so good at getting to the foul line, taking 7.5 freebies a game, many of the and-one variety. The problem is that Williams, who is a lefty, really struggles when he is forced to go right. Not only is he much, much better at getting to the basket going left, Williams seemingly has zero confidence in his right hand around the rim. He routinely switches the ball back to his left hand, even if it means having to force up a much tougher shot.

This wouldn't be a huge problem if it wasn't for the fact that Williams has almost no mid-range game. Pull-up jumpers are a foreign concept for Williams, and he doesn't have much of a floater or runner in his arsenal either. That's not to say he isn't a good shooter. Williams knocked down a respectable 37% of his three balls this season. Most of those, however, came as the spot-up variety. When he has time, he can be an effective shooter, which leads one to believe that developing a mid-range jumper is a possibility.
What makes Williams intriguing as a prospect is his ability to pass. Williams averaged nearly 4 apg, and really looked for his teammates if he drew an extrta defender. There definitely seems to be some potential there as a playmaker at the next level. When he did get minutes his freshman season at Duke, he played the point, and while he's not a pure point guard, he definitely has the handle to give minutes as a primary ball-handler.

Defensively, Williams has excellent quickness, the size and length to defend the two, and good anticipation in the passing lanes. The problem is that Williams has a slight frame, weighing in at just 175 lb. He needs to add strength and weight if he is going to be an above average defensive player -- especially at the two -- in the NBA.

Comparison:

• Best Case Scenario: The comparison I've seen often is Jason Terry. Williams isn't quite as good of a shooter as Terry just yet, and he has a bit of size on Terry, but in terms of their style of play and role on the team, it is a good comparison. Cuttino Mobley is another name I've seen tossed around.
  
• Worst Case Scenario: I've seen Michael Dickerson thrown out there, which is decent. Maybe a poor man's CJ Miles.

Outlook: Williams is the kind of player that can go anywhere from the mid-20's to the mid-40's in this draft. But according to multiple reports, Williams has been difficult to work out during the draft process. He injured his knee, which kept him out of the combine, and his camp has been silent on the status of that knee. His workouts and the info he has released has generally been only with the teams interested in him. As a player, Williams has the talent and potential to one day be a starter in the league, but in the long term I see Williams as more of a back-up, instant offense kind of player off the bench.

Highlights:



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2009-2010 Team Preview: Memphis Tigers

2008-2009 Record: 33-4, 16-0 C-USA (1st)

Key Losses: Tyreke Evans (17.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.9 apg, Robert Dozier (12.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg), Shawn Taggart (10.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg), Antonio Anderson (10.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.5 apg)

Key Returners: Doneal Mack (8.7 ppg), Roburt Sallie (5.8 ppg)

Newcomers: Elliot Williams, Will Coleman, DJ Stephens, Malik Thomas, Tyler Foster, Drew Barham, James Harvey Jr.

Doneal Mack will be the Tiger's leading returning scorer.
(photo credit: Reuters)

The Memphis basketball program had an off-season to forget. It started with John Calipari bolting for greener pastures in Lexington, and taking his loaded recruiting class with him. It continued with the school being stripped of its 38 win and Final Four season in 2007-2008. It ended with the Tigers losing three kids who would have contributed significant minutes this season; Latavious Williams decided to play pro ball overseas while Martin Ngaloro and Angel Garcia both suffered season ending injuries.

But that doesn't mean the Tigers will be devoid of talent this season, as they do add two potential stars to a group of proven role players. The biggest addition, figuratively, was guard Elliot Williams, a former McDonald's all-american who was cleared to play this season after transferring from Duke to be closer to his ailing mother. Williams should fit in perfectly with this Memphis squad as he is a tough defender and an athletic slasher. He showed flashes of promise on the offensive end as a freshman at Duke, and with the Tigers losing their three leading scorers, they will be looking for someone to help handle the offensive load.

The rest of the Memphis back court are names that you should recognize. Willie Kemp and Doneal Mack, both heading into their senior years, seem like they have been Tigers forever. Kemp will have his work cut out for him. He started as a freshman, but with one-and-dones Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans handling the point guard duties the past two season, he was relegated to a bench role. If Memphis wants to win another C-USA title, they are going to need a big year out of Kemp at the point. As I said before, there isn't really a big time scorer on this team like there has been the last few years. For the Tigers to be successful, Kemp is going to have to be able to get in the lane and create.

Mack is the Tiger's leading returning scorer. Known primarily as a shooter, he has struggled with that aspect of him game a bit as his percentages have dropped from 41% as a freshman to just 33% last year. He is streaky, however, and if he can build some confidence early in the season he can be a dangerous weapon for the Tigers.

The x-factor for this team may be Roburt Sallie. Sallie has been a bit of a basketball vagabond, bouncing around from school to school (he originally committed to Nebraska) before finally settling with the Tigers last season. It took him a while to really break into the Memphis rotation, but he is a tremendous shooter, knocking down 47% of his three's. When he gets hot, there may not be a better shooter in the country. Anyone that doubts that should take a glimpse at what he did in last year's tournament - 16-24 from deep in three games, including a 35-point performance (including 10-15 from deep) where he single-handedly kept the Tigers in their first round game against Cal St. Northridge.

The biggest addition, literally, for the Tigers during the off-season was forward Will Coleman, a JuCo transfer. Coleman is a freak of an athlete, checking in at 6'9", 255 lb with a 40" vertical. Coleman may be more Joey Dorsey than Blake Griffin at this point in his career, but there's no denying the potential of someone who can do this. His front court mate will be senior Pierre Henderson-Niles. Niles has constantly battled weight problems since enrolling with the Tigers, but word out of Memphis is that Niles is down to 278 lb. A top 30 recruit before his put on the weight, Niles has a soft touch and quick feet for a big man. If he ever figures it all out, he could end up being a tattooed Big Baby.

The other two players expected to get minutes for the Tigers are sophomore Wesley Witherspoon and freshman DJ Stephens. Witherspoon is a rangy 6'8" wing that is good enough with the ball that he played some point during his freshman season. A fantastic athlete with all the tools you ask for in a prototypical NBA wing, last season he showed that he still needed a lot of polish on the skills aspect of his game. Stephens was a late signee by Pastner after Latavious Williams decided to head to Europe. The 6'5" forward out of Texas is a fantastic athlete (reports say he has a 43" vert), but not much more should be expected out of him outside of a few dunks and some defense.

Outlook: Depth is going to be the biggest issue for the Tigers this season. They only have eight healthy scholarship players, and just two true posts. If Memphis wants to win this season, my personal feeling is that they are going to need to rely on their defense. They have athletes at every position, and if they can play a pressuring defense (and not necessarily in the full court as mush as a smothering half court defense), they should be able to force a lot of turnovers. And with the athletes on this team and the lack of any truly developed offensive weapons, an emphasis on the transition should suit them just fine. While the conference won't be a cakewalk for the Tigers like in years past (especially with how good teams like Tulsa, Houston and UTEP will be), they should still be considered the favorite heading into the season. But if the Tigers disappoint in the non-conference (big games are Kansas, @ Umass, Tennessee, @ Syracuse, and Gonzaga), that sentiment could change rather quickly.

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Elliot Williams cleared, Eloy Vargas to Kentucky?

They lost Latavious Williams. They lost Martin Ngaloro. Hell, they lost 2008.

Today, we finally got some good news for the University of Memphis.

Elliot Williams, the former McDonald's all-american who played his freshman season at Duke, was granted a waiver by the NCAA allowing him to play this season. Williams transferred to his hometown school to be closer to his mother, who is battling cancer.

With Williams, Memphis gets an athletic wing that can really get out and defend. By the end of last season, he had also blossomed into an effective slasher on the offensive end.

In other news, Jeff Goodman is currently reporting that Eloy Vargas, who Billy Donovan said could miss this season due to academics, is currently considering transferring and right now is on the Kentucky campus.

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Williams to Arizona, Williams to Memphis. Wait, what?

Derrick Williams, a 6'7" combo forward from California who originally committed to Tim Floyd at USC, has decided to remain in the Pac-10 to play for Arizona.

Williams becomes the third former Trojan recruit to decide to attend Arizona, following Solomon Hill and Lamont "Momo" Jones.

As we wrote last week, Williams had been considering Memphis, but evetually decided upon Arizona after visiting the school this past weekend.

This is just another addition to what has become an excellent first recruiting class for Sean Miller. In addition to getting Nic Wise back from the draft (to join returnees Kyle Fogg and Jamelle Horne), Miller now has five freshman - Williams, Hill, Jones, Kevin Parrom, and Kyryl Natyazhko - that can all contribute at this level.

The guy that must be hurting here is Kevin O'Neil. He was supposed to be the coach at Arizona now. But instead he was let go when Lute Olson thought he wanted to come back, eventually ending up with USC. Now, he is forced to coach a team that will struggle in the Pac-10 while Sean Miller will be coaching a roster full of freshman that O'Neil was supposed to coach at the school he was supposed to coach at.

But Derrick wasn't the only Williams in the news this weekend. Elliot, the two-guard and former McDonald's all-american that spent his freshman season at Duke, has decided to transfer to Memphis.

Everyone saw this coming. Williams is from Memphis, and transferred out of Duke to be closer to his sick mother.

It is a big signing for Josh Pastner, and helps to ease the sting of missing on Derrick Williams (who visited Memphis before Arizona). Williams can play both guard positions (although he is more of a two), is an excellent slasher and defender, and if he gets eligible for the season, has a chance to slide into a starting role.

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Elliot Williams may only have one choice

ELLIOT WILLIAMS MAY ONLY HAVE ONE CHOICE: Apparently, Elliot Williams has cut his list to four schools: Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and Memphis (all of which recruited him out of high school).

So where will he end up?

Well, if he wants to play right away, Gary Parrish tells up he really only has one choice.

Tyler Smith was the guy that made it trendy to appeal the NCAA's rule of sitting out one year for a transfer. Smith played his freshman season at Iowa, but transferred back to Tennessee to be closer to his ailing father. While Smith was from Tennessee, Knoxville is a good 250 miles from his Pulaski, TN home.

According to a D1 coach Parrish talked to, the NCAA has tightened its guidelines for granting the waiver.

"I know a player who transferred to a school 106 miles from his home, and the NCAA denied the waiver," the coach said. "They wanted to know that the player was going to have 'day-to-day responsibilities' with the family member before granting the waiver, and they said that you can't have 'day-to-day responsibilities' if you're 106 miles away."

Vanderbilt is 212 miles from Memphis. Tennessee is 391 and Kentucky is 423.

Which means that assuming the coach that Parrish spoke too is correct, the only place Williams will be able to play at next year is Memphis.

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Gotta love Duke fans...

When stuff like this shows up in your inbox:

Bout to go to sleep so I check my sports sites before bed... Oh, hey RedSox.com: Got the W tonight, good news...Oh, hey CNNSI: Shaq got traded, awesome. Go Cavs (unless vs. Celts, naturally)... Oh, hey BIAH: Elliot Williams is transferring. Fuck. Me. "What can you do?" What can you do, Rob? You can visit the sick family member on the weekends or ask Coach K to schedule Memphis, Middle Tennessee State, UT and Chattanooga in non-conference! Dammit, ruined my night with that shit... Now I'm gonna have to be like "Oh, hey random porn site" to calm myself down.

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Elliot Williams leaving Duke

According to a press release from Duke University, Elliot Williams, who just finished his freshman season with the Devils, will be leaving the school to transfer closer to his Memphis, Tennessee, home due to "family medical reasons".

Williams will appeal the NCAA's transfer rule that would force him to sit out the 2009-10 season.

Elliot Williams is transferring out of Duke.
(photo credit: Total Pro Sports)

This is a big blow to Duke. After losing Gerald Henderson to the draft, the Blue Devils were going to be counting on Elliot Williams to provide them with size and athleticism on the perimeter. It was the insertion of Williams into the starting line-up, allowing Jon Scheyer to slide over to the point, that led to the Devil's resurgence late last season.

Now, Duke's line-up looks much less intimidating, especially in the back court. Outside of Scheyer and Nolan Smith, who can play back court minutes? Martynas Pocius? Unless they sign another guard late (Lamont Jones?), those will be the only three guards on Duke's roster.

To be fair, they should have a good front line. Kyle Singler and Miles Plumlee will be joined by freshman Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly (a top 25 recruit).

But who is going to get them the ball? Scheyer struggled so much last season when he was forced to play the off-guard. He was not quick or strong enough to score against ACC two-guards. Nolan Smith, who earned the starting spot in the off-season by outplaying Greg Paulus, struggled so much that Paulus, and then Williams, were given a chance as the starter.

Unless the Devils can find another wing, Coach K is going to have his work cut out for him.

Back to Williams, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that he will be transferring to Memphis, where Josh Pastner would gladly add another wing with Williams talent. Now, there are plenty of schools that fit the criteria of allowing the Memphis native to play "closer to home". But Williams took an official visit to Memphis, and according to Rivals it was one of his top four when he decided on Duke.

If Williams does, in fact, transfer to Memphis and become eligible this year, he will be an important piece for the Tigers. Right now, the Tigers really have one guy (Willie Kemp) that is a ball-handler. While Williams is not a true point guard in any sense, he proved last season that he is at the least capable of running the point when necessary.

Given his defensive ability and how effective he was as a slasher last season, Williams could end up being a real difference maker for Memphis.

No matter how you spin it, this is a bad break for the Devils. But if the kid really has a family member that is sick, what can you do?

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