Before I talk about Terrence Williams’ workout, I did want to share an awesome story that Dave D’Alessandro reported on Friday:
Terrence Williams fared well Friday. They all seemed to like his game and his personality, which is something they had initial concerns about, given the horrendous circumstances the kid has endured in his short life.
And if the suits talked to him long enough, they would have learned something else: If Brandon Roy were a jerk instead of a terrific kid, we may never have even heard of Terrence Williams.
True story, circa the summer of ’99, when one Seattle kid was 15 and the other one was 12:
“Sixth grade,” Williams recalled Friday. “He was playing across the street, and I asked him if I could play. And he taught me how to use the glass and stuff. One thing I’m mad at is, he didn’t teach me how to shoot the ball. He just taught me the ins and outs of the game. But I thank him for that.”
And the rest of us can thank that high-school freshman for not telling a sixth-grader to buzz off a decade ago.
Like I just said, that is an awesome story, and it also shows the type of kid Brandon Roy was/the man he has become. On to the workout. From most (if not all) accounts, it went very well. As Kiki Vandeweghe told Fred Kerber:
“He’s very physically mature, ready to play and he was impressive,” general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said. “He made a lot of shots. His physical ability, the size, strength, quickness, he has all that, basically.”
Now I am going to be honest, Terrence Williams was off of my radar for some time. The main reason for that is because I have been concentrating on watching/studying 3/4 hybrids, PGs, and big 3s (Terrence is a 2/3 – Shoot, he can even play the point in stretches). Despite that, Terrence Williams can ball. He is an athletic freak who enjoys creating for his teammates as much as he enjoys scoring. Here are some more interesting notes about Williams’ workout. This from Ben Couch:
Williams was one of six players to work out for the Nets on Friday, and general manger Kiki Vandeweghe said that Williams had a “very good” session, showing an ability to shoot out to NBA three-point range. He views Williams as a wing who can play some point forward and potentially guard the 1, 2 or 3 positions — and an intriguing option at No. 11.
“Physical ability: size, strength, quickness — he has all of that,” Vandeweghe said. “He really knows how to play, so his passing ability stands out. He makes others better, and plays very hard, so I think he’s a great teammate.”
—
The individual workouts have also offered Williams a chance to quell any doubts about his shooting, the one skill he feels might have been overlooked due to his versatility. He says that shooting 8-for-10 from all spots on the floor during drills has opened eyes, and is the likely cause for his rise on many draft boards.
—
As you college enthusiasts know, the Louisville wing is unique: He’s more likely to get his first triple-double in the pros before he gets a 30-point game.
“He really knows how to play — so the passing ability stands out,” Vandeweghe said. “He makes others better, and he plays hard. He’s a great teammate.”
“My grandpa and uncles told me to look up Magic Johnson,” he said. “I used to see him always smiling, coming down and making passes, always talking team. I remember they lost by like 30, and he put it on himself, and he had a triple-double, I believe.
“So I just took that whole thing when I was little, in the seventh grade, when I started playing basketball, I just always wanted it to be on my shoulders at the end of the game, and I always wanted to make the pass first. A lot of people like scoring. When you’re a little kid, you want to score 12 points for your mom. I wanted 12 assists.”
Williams’ shot was a big question mark going into workouts, but he worked with all-time great Gary Payton preparing himself for the workouts (This improvement in his shot is why he is sky-rocketing up the draft boards during his string of workouts.):
—
Now, on to some more draft rumors and notes. Now it early last week, it seemed that it was a high possibility that the Nets were going to move down in the draft and try to get two later picks in the first round (Trades with Chicago and Minnesota were discussed because they each have multiple picks in the first round), but as the days passed, these rumors cooled off.
So what happened? Well, it is my belief that Nets were trying to move down so they would be able to take both Terrence Williams and Omir Casspi (mainly the Bulls who had picks 16 and 26). However, with teams nefore the 16th now interested in Williams the Nets might not move down and may have to take Williams at 11. That is if he is their man, and I believe he is. Why? Well, Terrence told me (yup I got a quick interview with him – you will be seeing that soon) that he will be working out with the Nets again on Tuesday. The Nets must be interested in him if they want to squeeze out another workout with him before the draft (I also think that they want to see him go up against both Jennings – who happens to be sliding down the draft boards – and Flynn, both of whom will be working out with the Nets on Tuesday.
Williams won’t be going before 11, but the Charlotte Bobcats are very interested in him. In fact, Williams had a meeting with Bobcats’ brass yesterday, even Air Jordan himself was there. So it is starting to seem that if Terrence Williams is going to be a Net, he is going to have to be drafted at 11.
So what would have to happen to see the Nets make a draft-day deal? Well, in my mind, if both Earl Clark and Terrence Williams is off of the board (I think these are the Nets top two at this point), I think they would make a trade with either Chicago or Minnesota. That way they will be able to draft Tyler Hansboro (3rd on their list in my opinion), and then take Omri Casspi (4th on their list) late in the 1st round.
—
CDR is no longer the only NJ Net on Twitter. Devin Harris has an account set up, and it looks like it is legit. He made his first twit (that’s what it’s called right?) Saturday, so you should start following him if you haven’t already.
