There's been a little discussion about Willie, particularly of late, in regards to throwing him in as filler in a trade. Something I'm against at this moment in time. Especially since I feel Willie is on the verge of a breakout, and because I think you have to give big men three to four years to develop before you know what you have. While I'll admit that Willie is a bit of a strange duck, he's also very athletically gifted, and came to the game of basketball later than most.
Strange duck or not, he appears to be a hard worker that's willing to put in the time. At the end of the day, that usually results in improvement, and sometimes dramatic improvement. Sometimes, all the player needs, is a legit chance to show what he's been working on. There's no doubt that Willie's last 25 games, or the games he played after Cousins was traded, show improvement over his season averages.
12.9 points per game over 8.1 points per game. Or 8.5 rebounds a game over 4.5 rebounds a game. However, if you go deeper, and compare his last 25 games with his first 57 games, the difference is remarkable. In Willie's first 57 games, he averaged 11:22 minutes per game, 5.0 points per game on 3.9 attempts per game while shooting a very respectable 56.0% overall. He pulled down a paltry 2.3 rebounds a game, 0.4 assists a game, and 0.4 steals a game. He played a total of 639 minutes in the first 57 games.
To put that in perspective, Willie played a total of 770 minutes in the last 25 games. He averaged 30.8 minutes per game. Scored 12.9 points per game on 10.3 attempts per game, while shooting 51.3% overall. He pulled down 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists a game and 1.1 steals a game. That's a dramatic improvement over the first 57 games folks. There's a lot to like there, and be optimistic about.
For those reasons, I'm looking forward to seeing if Willie can build on those last 25 games, and maybe become even more than we anticipated when we drafted him. I always felt that any offense we get out of Willie would be a bonus. But now, I think he's quite possible of averaging 15 points a game and around 9 or 10 boards a game. The one thing that's impressed the most, is his passing. He's shown himself to be a much better passer than I thought he could be.
Bottom line is, the jury is still out. However some of the evidence is starting to stack up in Willie's favor. Even if it's based on only 25 games. I'm anxious to see what he brings to the table this fall. It would be nice to know that the center position is a strength and not a weakness.
Strange duck or not, he appears to be a hard worker that's willing to put in the time. At the end of the day, that usually results in improvement, and sometimes dramatic improvement. Sometimes, all the player needs, is a legit chance to show what he's been working on. There's no doubt that Willie's last 25 games, or the games he played after Cousins was traded, show improvement over his season averages.
12.9 points per game over 8.1 points per game. Or 8.5 rebounds a game over 4.5 rebounds a game. However, if you go deeper, and compare his last 25 games with his first 57 games, the difference is remarkable. In Willie's first 57 games, he averaged 11:22 minutes per game, 5.0 points per game on 3.9 attempts per game while shooting a very respectable 56.0% overall. He pulled down a paltry 2.3 rebounds a game, 0.4 assists a game, and 0.4 steals a game. He played a total of 639 minutes in the first 57 games.
To put that in perspective, Willie played a total of 770 minutes in the last 25 games. He averaged 30.8 minutes per game. Scored 12.9 points per game on 10.3 attempts per game, while shooting 51.3% overall. He pulled down 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists a game and 1.1 steals a game. That's a dramatic improvement over the first 57 games folks. There's a lot to like there, and be optimistic about.
For those reasons, I'm looking forward to seeing if Willie can build on those last 25 games, and maybe become even more than we anticipated when we drafted him. I always felt that any offense we get out of Willie would be a bonus. But now, I think he's quite possible of averaging 15 points a game and around 9 or 10 boards a game. The one thing that's impressed the most, is his passing. He's shown himself to be a much better passer than I thought he could be.
Bottom line is, the jury is still out. However some of the evidence is starting to stack up in Willie's favor. Even if it's based on only 25 games. I'm anxious to see what he brings to the table this fall. It would be nice to know that the center position is a strength and not a weakness.
