As Hornets rise, long-forgotten Marvin Williams finds a home
Remember Marvin Williams? That guy Atlanta selected over Chris Paul and Deron Williams, like, 100 years ago? The one whose career peaked in its third season, and never induced much more than a yawn from the casual NBA fan?
Ring a bell? Sure it does! Heading into this season, his second in Charlotte, Williams epitomized rotation filler on a Hornets team with somber expectations. He’s 29 years old, which is right around the time NBA players stop improving and start to decline. In 10 seasons, Williams has suited up for three different teams and, somewhere along the way, morphed from a slasher who lacked athletic flair to a stretch four who can’t space the floor. Williams shot about 36 percent from deep over the past two seasons. Not bad, but not great.
Fast forward to right now, and the zero-time All-Star is playing the best basketball of his life. He's the Clark Kent silhouette Charlotte needs to make a playoff push sans its Superman, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.
This small sample size funk is common over the opening few weeks of any given season, but, for the time being, that doesn’t make it imaginary.
Coming into every training camp, teams, agents and players like to twist narrative in their favor by spinning favorable anecdotes to whoever will listen. (Player X swam with polar bears for two weeks and is totally committed to playing defense this year! The sole reason Player Y only made 27 percent of his threes was he forgot to practice!) These get ignored by anyone who’s been duped before, which is to say they’re completely disregarded by everyone who willingly absorbs the NBA.
Circling back to Williams, though, there's reason to think his reform narrative is actually true. According to the Charlotte Observer, Charlotte’s most productive forward lost a dozen pounds over the summer by increasing his cardio and working out at the Time Warner Cable Arena on a near-daily basis. It appears Williams might have bucked the trend we see from so many who grow complacent with age. After watching him play exceptional basketball over the past few weeks, why not buy in? Fool me once, shame on you. Or something.
Eight games into the 2015-16 season, the positive side effects from all his hard work are obvious. Despite Charlotte's crowded frontcourt—Cody Zeller, Frank Kaminsky, Spencer Hawes, Al Jefferson and, last but not least, Tyler Hansbrough are all fighting for time—Williams is firmly entrenched in the Hornets’ starting lineup, averaging his most minutes (31.9) since 2009.
Here’s why, per his head coach Steve Clifford:
He’s doing everything and he’s doing it every night…He’s playing both (small forwards and power forwards). He can do both and he organizes the defense…Marvin can literally play with any group of guys. He’s fine because he creates space because they’re afraid he’ll shoot (from outside the 3-point arc). And he never makes mistakes.
Still skeptical? Let’s roll out some numbers: Williams' effective field goal percentage on spot-up attempts (67.6 percent) is higher than Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kyle Korver, Bradley Beal, J.J. Redick and several others who many consider to be the best shooters on the planet.
It’s very early, and nobody’s saying that Williams will win the three-point shootout at All-Star Weekend, but his hot start is definitely something to keep an eye on. He’s up to 41.2 percent behind the arc. That’s amazingly helpful on a team that’s always desperate for spacing, and still runs their offense through a low-post-oriented center.
But beyond his steaming outside shot, Williams is more active and engaged everywhere on the court. He’s diving in for put-backs, crashing the glass and making timely cuts into open space. There’s a steady and relentless bounce to his game that didn’t previously exist.Williams is committed to shining as a 3-and-D wing, but has enough poise not to crumble when a possession breaks down and he needs to create a decent look.
That flexibility translates more than ever to the other end, where, as Clifford gushed, Williams takes nothing off the table as one of Charlotte’s most versatile defenders. And just about every on/off figure supports his impact. According to NBA.com, the Hornets’ attack is limp with Williams on the bench (95.9 points per 100 possessions) and a firecracker when he plays (107.8 points per 100 possessions). That’s the 3rd best offense in basketball vs. the fourth worst. The same disparity applies to defense, where, oh by the way, Williams leads Charlotte in rebounds and blocks per game.
It’s a contract year for the former North Carolina Tar Heel, and it’s no stretch to assume he’s aiming for a giant pay day this summer. Veterans who defend multiple positions, accept their role, knock down threes and positively influence the locker room are generally regarded as “valuable.”
If Williams somehow maintains this play throughout the entire 82-game season, well, maybe he’ll finally be known as more than a draft-day disappointment.
Follow Michael Pina on Twitter: @MichaelVPina
