<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Louis Williams of the 76ers has raised his game to a level that should cause him to be considered for the rotation next season. That proclamation may sound ludicrous, but stats don?t lie and with Williams being a sponge to anyone that offers advice, he definitely will be an option Cheeks looks to next season. Let?s take a look back at how far Williams has come since the end of last season. Williams was coming off a year that saw him play garbage time for the 76ers. He had three guards in front of him in the rotation that were projected to play major minutes this season. Williams headed into summer league and opened up some eyes averaging 22 points and 10 assists a game. Many people did not think much about those stats because he was playing against rookies and second-tier free agents. That was big for Williams regardless of it being summer ball. Williams played hard all summer, ready to prove to everyone and to himself that he was ready to play significant minutes in the NBA. But when the season started Williams found himself out of the rotation and was being advised he might be best suited playing in the NBDL. It was definitely not something any player wants to hear, especially a former two-time Georgia state Player of the Year and an All-American while playing in high school. When the 76ers first drafted Williams he was considered to be at the front line of the rotation with Allen Iverson after watching him dominate in high school. General Manager Billy King saw a quick, explosive guard who could cause some havoc with Allen Iverson and jumped at the opportunity. That opportunity never happened for Williams. Since Williams was not in the rotation he was sent down to play in the NBDL so he could get some official game time. The 76ers didn?t envision Williams dominating the league like he did. Williams averaged 29.1 points and 10 assists per game in the handful of games he played. To everyone's surprise Williams proved he belongs in the NBA, point-blank. "It was like old times again - playing off of the ball, trying to create plays,? said Williams. ?And just going out there and playing basketball." Williams is very good at protecting the ball and has increased his confidence in running the offense which has helped this team tremendously. Mo Cheeks now has the confidence that if he substitutes Williams for starter Andre Miller the offense will still be efficient. When he came back he finally got a chance to play and he delivered. Not only has Williams played some huge minutes for the 76ers when it really counted, he developed some confidence that should help him going into next season. ?Louis has come a long way," said Cheeks. "His game is not based upon scoring. He can score the ball. He is becoming a pretty good point guard. His assist-to-turnover ratio is pretty good." Williams has grown and matured into a solid player that can help this team get back to the playoffs. If he continues to work hard on his game and get strong physically he can be a great compliment to Andre Miller. "He's athletic. He can definitely make plays and he's explosive,? said Miller. ?He has a chance to go out there and show what he can do." The 76ers have come a long ways and that is definitely in part to Cheeks sticking with his young guys, and his players stepping up to the plate to deliver with consistency and confidence. Williams has a bright future and you can expect big things from him next season. </div> Link Williams has been the lone-bright spot for this team this season. In admist of all the worthless winning, this young man has really stepped it. I hope he continues to develop his game this offseason, he could be a solid player in the league someday
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Williams has been the lone-bright spot for this team this season</div> ? They really should have gave this man more playing time earlier on in the season. The 76ers would have likely struggled more while Louis Williams gets valuable experience and is better prepared for next season.
<div class="quote_poster">Brian Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Link Williams has been the lone-bright spot for this team this season. In admist of all the worthless winning, this young man has really stepped it. I hope he continues to develop his game this offseason, he could be a solid player in the league someday</div> Williams hasn't really done much this season to be considered our lone bright spot. He has had two nice games, lets not get ahead of ourselves, he is still averaging 3 points a game. Come on now.
Today versus Orlando he was great. Nailed an open 3 pointer, had an amazing first step off a pump fake and took it to the hole and then to cap it off a dunk in transition in the final minute of the game. I really am begining to believe this kid will have a future.
<div class="quote_poster">Smitty Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah, we need to re-sign him(and Iggy) when his contract is up. All he needed was playing time...</div> He got playing time, all he needed was shots. When AI was here he was only getting 8-10 a game, and that was when he was actually demanding the ball.
<div class="quote_poster">Blur Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">He got playing time, all he needed was shots. When AI was here he was only getting 8-10 a game, and that was when he was actually demanding the ball.</div> Significant playing time my fellow Eagle fan. But do agree with him not getting alot of touches though. But he was a bit turnover prone, so that was probably part of the reason. He's really working hard on his game and it shows. Hopefully we can see him develop into the player we expect him to be.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">He's really working hard on his game and it shows. Hopefully we can see him develop into the player we expect him to be.</div> A future starting PG perhaps?
Louis Williams definitely has the potential to be a 20ppg scorer. He just needs to mature in the league and he could be an all-star.
