The thing about Ariza is that he is typically really good the first half of the season. Manage his minutes more and he might be able to maintain that a bit longer.
With Dekker probably out for the season I'd like to see them use Ariza AND Williams together. Ariza as the 4 has worked before, it can work again. Bev-Gordon-Williams-Ariza-Capela should actually be a fairly decent defensive setup as well as having 4 shooters on the floor.
Let's all cross our fingers that Troy Williams has improved his shooting. It would be incredible If he got his percentage up to 35 or so behind the three for a long stretch. I hope he stays aggressive regardless. A big part of Sam's problem is that he has been incredibly gun shy. Gotta keep firing away with confidence.
Does anyone have highlights of Troy Williams' debut against the Suns (6 threes)? Please post if possible. Thanks
He's a rookie with potential, give the young guy some credit. Sometimes the league gets it wrong. Hopefully he can build on the big game and keep improving.
If I remember correctly both he and Sam hovered a little under 33%. Sam started out red hot though so I still believe in his potential to be a high 30% shooter from 3. I think the game, the minutes, the travel and all wore him down. He's a rookie. I'm still way buying Dekker's potential. Williams has kind of been through the grinder already so like you said, hopefully he sees opportunity and grabs it. I don't think 6 3s a game is realistic but showing that kind of outburst in what is a big chance for you personally certainly speaks to his passion for the game. His form was nice and he seemed to flow within the offense quite well, even deferring a few times you wished he would've shot. He hustles on defense and has decent makeup to back up Ariza as the 3/D wing. All this comparison to Dekker though, I really believe he's a stretch 4 more than anything. Going big with some spot minutes at 3 but his strength this year was out-running bigs. I don't think they play the same position.
Also liked what I saw and his aggressiveness. I think he's developing and improving as a player. Granted it takes time for some players to develop. I think Dekker has definitely been given more opportunities than Williams to showcase his talent and at this point I think Williams confidence is way above Dekker's.
Yeah I agree. He just turned 22 a couple months ago, and he has a fantastic NBA build for a SF. He is known for hustling his ass off and being an extremely hard worker too, and he seems like a nice kid. I think it was pretty smart of him to turn down one of Dork Elvis's sneaky 3 year deals, because every team is looking for a 6-7 athlete that can knock down a three every now and again. If he can be Corey Brewer with a 33 percent three pointer, I will be extremely happy. As it is, I am extremely happy. We need athletes and knife-fighters next to James. I hope this Cat mixes it up in the games to come. Maybe those Memphis boys rubbed off on him.
Highlights from Troy's last game vs. the Iowa Energy (4-1-17). Pretty typical stuff for him. Super comfortable the right wing; more of a distributor from the left side of the court. His new-found range and shooting confidence really opens up his drive, and can he throw it down if he gets to the rim. Wow! These are 2 minutes of March 2017 highlights. Sit back and enjoy. Can't wait to see him trailing the break as a PF and have one of these monster finishes. It's just a matter of time. When you string together great plays like this, you might think all-star potential. Hard to not be over-eager with highlights. However, I've written about his weaknesses earlier. Troy is certainly a work in progress.
Ariza is a quintessential 3/D wing. Plays smart, hustles, does a little bit of everything, glue guy type who has molded himself into a a worthy 3 pt shooter, career 35%. Williams seems to have the same set of tools to me. I think 35% is an attainable goal. What he has though that even Ariza lacks is handle. We all lovingly chide Ariza's wonky, herking jerking drives but Williams has a smoothness off the dribble and even a basic instinct in setting others up for baskets. I'd love to see him progress for the next few years in a ROckets uni
almost all of his 3s are swishes it rarely ever grazes the rim... also its very useful and cool that he has a long hang time...
He is what Kj mcdaniels could have been if he could shoot the three, maybe with a little better handle. Guy could be big for us in the playoffs!