Williams' career has taken an interesting turn, as he's becoming one of the more valuable role players in Charlotte. That's evident by the fact that he played over 30.0 minutes per game last season, his highest total since the 2009-10 season. In addition, Williams has become much more of a three-point threat, averaging 4.7 three-point attempts per game in each of his last two seasons. He had never averaged more than 3.4 three-point attempts per game prior to those two seasons and he's doing it efficiently, hitting over 37 percent in that span. That allows him to stretch the floor and clear the lane for some of the other big men on the roster, which should work well with new addition Dwight Howard, who's going to be anchored to the post. Williams has also improved as a rebounder, with his 6.6 boards per game last season representing a career-high. His versatilty and spacing ability pretty much guarantees him a healthy workload, as he can play small forward, power forward and even some small-ball center, if needed. The one thing that could hurt his resurgence is the emergence of second-year player Frank Kaminsky, who will likely see more time at power forward given the addition of Howard. That said, Williams has been a far more efficient player than Kaminsky, so it's unlikely his workload decreases.
Williams enjoyed a resurgence in his second year with the Hornets, posting his best per-game scoring numbers (11.7 points) since 2008-09, while also notching career per-game highs in rebounding (6.4), blocked shots (1.0), three-point efficiency (40.2%), and three-point attempts (4.7 per game). The former No. 2 overall pick has adjusted well in turning himself into a viable stretch four, though he still slides down to the wing in certain lineups. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist back from injury, Williams figures to play primarily at power forward again this season, but the pair will be somewhat interchangeable in the frontcourt. Williams is the vastly better shooter, however, so he'll spend more time spotting up around the perimeter. Fantasy wise, Williams' numbers should remain fairly consistent. He's a high-floor/low-ceiling commodity, but it's fair to wonder if the career 35.4 percent three-point shooter can again convert at a 40-plus percent clip.
In his 10th season, Williams posted 7.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 26 minutes per game through 78 games. Starting 37 games, the former Tar Heel shot 42 percent from the field, 36 percent from beyond the arc, and 71 percent from the free-throw line. Now entering the final year of his contract, Williams' ability to make outside shots should help keep him in the Hornets' rotation during 2015-16, but the 29-year-old forward will certainly have plenty of competition for playing time, especially if Michael Kidd-Gilchrist starts seeing more time at the four position.
One of the quieter offseason pickups, Marvin Williams' role isn't entirely known this year. He's a bit of a tweener, but with Charlotte's never-ending options on the wing, most of his time should be spent up front, especially early on while the Hornets wait on Noah Vonleh. He should play around 20 minutes, but his career numbers have been astonishingly consistent with a field goal percentage lurking around the low 40's. Thus, he'll be in an important role player, but don't expect much impact here.
Last season's starter doesn't provide much statistical value, but does give Utah some experience, defensive versatility and a corner three threat off the bench.
Williams was one of several big offseason acquisitions the Jazz made. The Jazz will be Williams' second team in his career and first time playing in the Western Conference. He is an athletic big man who will be battling Favors for minutes off the bench primarily at the power forward position. His numbers and playing time have steadily been declining over the last few years, but he still has the ability to average 10 plus points and five plus rebounds a game.
The small forward position is Williams’ to lose, but injuries have been a problem over his career. He has been limited to fewer than 65 games in a season three times in his six-year career. Even when he does play, he’s not one of the better fantasy options at the forward position. He can provide fantasy owners with steals and a solid percentage from the free-throw line, but he doesn’t really do enough in the other categories to have a major fantasy impact.
Another year gone by and we’re still waiting for Williams to live up to his billing as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. Selected ahead the likes of Deron Williams and Chris Paul, Williams arrived in Atlanta with tons of expectations, but he still hasn’t put it all together. In his fifth season, Williams saw his playing time (30:30), scoring (10.1) and rebounding (5.1) all dip. There’s no doubt he’s a solid contributor to an NBA rotation, but Williams hasn’t shown any hints he’ll be able to develop into the a star anytime soon.
Williams had improved at a slow-but-steady clip through his first three NBA campaigns before missing 21 games due to injury last season. Even with the missed time, Williams still produced career-highs in rebounds (6.3 rpg) and three-pointers (0.9/game), both positive signs for a player that shows every sign of being a consistent mid-teens scorer with solid shooting percentages, but without strong defensive numbers to round him out. As a “tweener” forward, Williams lacks a clear-cut position and doesn’t have any one skill or strength that makes him a compelling player, so he needs to produce strongly on the glass and make the long-range shot a weapon. The Hawks re-signed Williams this offseason, indicating they expect him to be a significant part of their future. Keep in mind he’s still only 23 years old – in other words, Williams still has plenty of room to grow.
The Atlanta Hawks’ fondest wish is for Williams to continue to improve and thrive so much that some day, in a write-up like this one, some snarky columnist won’t be forced to remind everyone that they passed up Chris Paul and Deron Williams. (Guess it ain’t happening this time.) While Williams’ progress pales in comparison to the Dream Teamers in his draft class, he actually did put together a pretty nice season in 2007-08 – scoring just under 15 points per game with 5.7 boards – and he seems to have the size, skill and athleticism to do even better. (He’ll need to, to help fill the void left by Josh Childress’ defection to Greece.)
If Williams gets the playing time, we could see the game that got him selected ahead of Chris Paul in the 2005 draft. Williams is starting to develop more of an offensive game (13.1 ppg) to go along with his great size and athleticism, and he has the ability to improve on his 5.3 rpg from last season. On the other hand, Williams could stagnate or even decline if fellow top-five picks Al Horford and/or Shelden Williams do enough to cut into his minutes. The Hawks would love for Williams to play well enough to justify his selection over Paul and Deron Williams, so expect him to get every opportunity to prove himself.
As a rookie last year, Williams showed flashes of why he was drafted No. 2 overall in the 2005 draft. He averaged 11.1 points and 5.4 boards after the All-Star break, but only averaged 28 minutes a night in Atlanta’s crowded frontcourt. With Al Harrington in Indiana, the 6-9 Williams should get more playing time and could potentially start if the Hawks decide to go small. Williams has a deft mid-range game and is solid rebounder. He should be on your radar in the latter rounds if you need points and boards.
Williams has all the upside in the world, but consider that he didn't start for his own college team last year before you believe the hype and pick up
the No. 2 draft choice in the hope that he'll help your fantasy team right now. Look at the career of Jermaine O'Neal to get a sense of who Williams might become: O'Neal averaged around four points per game in his first four years in the league before blossoming in his fifth season. While Williams did get a year of college ball in to further refine his game, he's still likely at least a year or two away from helping a fantasy team.
After flirting with declaring for the NBA draft straight out of high schoo, Williams committed to UNC and played a sixth man role off the bench. Williams possesses great athleticism and has a developed inside and outside game. On the flip side, Williams is still very young and inexperienced and won't be an impact player out of the gates. He's a consensus top three pick and currently the favorite to be the first overall pick in this year's draft.
