The thing that make Lob so interesting is that he is not only a superb athlete BUT he is also a willing passer...
As he studies this beautiful game of basketball and continues to grow he will learn to keep the ball in play once he blocks it (ala Bill Russell)....
Dude also looks bigger in the shoulders, as if he's gained weight and been working out.
Loving his development.
I think the bolded is going to be tough. In the 50 years since Russell there have been shot blockers galore... bunches and bunches of them with athletic skills and basketball instincts better than Williams'. And in those 50 years how many have really mastered the art of blocking shots but making sure the ball stays inbound most of the time?
Not a whole lot, especially in the last couple decades where a massive block into the stands is received with as much excitement as an alley oop dunk.
Maybe years ago the skill of blocking a ball, keeping it in bounds and hopefully guide it to a team mate was taught. But not now. From high school age on, players who block shots attempt to block the ball into the stands so that play stops and the player can soak in the adulation. Crowds loving seeing big guys send the ball into the first row.
For these reasons, I just don't see Williams, or most any modern player, developing that Bill Russell skill of blocking shots.
FWIW Russell didn't only use his blocking ability to swat away high value attempts near the rim, he also used it to get into the heads of his opponents and make then hesitant to drive or shoot when Russell is nearby. I don't see Robert Williams ever developing that type of acumen, ntm keeping the ball inbounds during blocks.
At SAS 5/6 of balls on his blocks remained inbound.
THIS.
Was wondering if anyone else saw what I saw...additionally - I think there's a decent percentage of his blocks that do stay active - at least from my eye test.
Maybe someone here is tracking this stat? Would be welcome to seeing the actual percentage of his blocks staying active..
My thing is this: Never say never.
We thought we'd never see another Larry Bird or Hakeem either - then Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid happened.
Will Lob Williams ever become another Bill Russell? Sure that's quite the stretch. But I'm not placing any limits on this young fella's development towards that.
I do think that we shouldn't be too definitive when it comes to a young player's development, but let's be realistic - Russell's career was an onslaught of MVP seasons with a few All-Time seasons thrown in during his peak, it's very unlikely that Robert even comes close to that level of impact. And Doncic is a very different player compared to Bird, I just don't see the comparisons when one player is the greatest off ball perimeter engine ever while the other is another transcendent ball dominant quarterback in the likes of Magic/Bron/Oscar. Just going to laugh off the Hakeem/Embiid comparison, Embiid is a super poor man's Olajuwon (you're comparing a player with a peak year that only had an outside shot of winning MVP to a player with one of the best peaks among great big men), and it's not like Embiid is going to magically improve to that level with his current age (25/26 should be the close to a player's peak if it's not his best season).
Agree to disagree. And I don't make comments pertaining to "Laughing Off" anyone on this blog.
I know that with PHI there are some posters here that won't give Embiid his due because, well - he's PHI. But his skill set and comparison to ME cannot be denied.
And with Luka? Again MY eye test he reminds me so much of Larry..not going to waste time with superlatives.
Rob Williams will more than likely NOT approach Bill Russell's accomplishments - I get that. But as he improves in his own sphere he can develop a rep where our opponents will always have to be mindful of his presence.
THAT - to ME - would be Russell-like.
Sure. But I'd expect to get laughed off if I make a comparison on the lines of prime Reggie Lewis to peak Tracy McGrady. The difference between Embiid and Hakeem in terms of how good they are is huge, sure they might have some similar traits on offense (isolationist tendencies, mediocre vision and passing), but they're in different classes of big men.
You can stick to your eye test regarding how much Doncic reminds you of Larry - I won't disparage you because of it. But it'd make me think that your eye test is predicated on a player's appearance than how he actually plays, not going to waste time shouting about eye tests.
This isn't about accomplishments, I've stopped talking about them when it comes to player evaluations quite some time ago. It's simply based on how "good" a player is based on the tape I've watched on them tempered with impact metrics that aren't solely reliant on box stats, and I just don't think that Williams is likely to develop a Russell-like impact on defense. People really underrate Russell's defense - the 60s Celtics dynasty was carried by his defensive excellence. Is Williams going to have a defensive impact that causes teams to explode defensively and go from average teams to contenders (contender based on the teams' statistical performance rather than accolades, such as SRS)? I'll have to say that I'm rather skeptical on that happening. I respect your opinion, but I think it's a bit too idealistic (not that there's anything wrong with that, that's what fans do
).