Timelord one of 5 most intriguing players in NBA this season per ESPN

[nickagneta]

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/32420384/lowe-five-most-intriguing-players-nba-season

It's Insider so here is his write up:

How many elite dive-and-dunk bigs double as canny passers -- capable of facilitating the offense?


The number who do both at Williams' level is really small.

And how many of those can do this to James Harden in a close playoff game?

That is the promise of the "Time Lord" wrapped into one nine-second sequence: switching onto one of the greatest ball handlers ever, maintaining a stance, keeping his arms out, staying balanced against all fakery, and finally rising to reject a 3-pointer from an all-time scorer unaccustomed to such rudeness.

Williams had nine blocks in that game. When asked if he remembers that one, he simply says, "We lost. I know that." Teammates and coaches say Williams does not care about scoring or stats -- that he only wants to win. He works hard, and shows up on time now. (Williams concedes the Time Lord nickname will follow him forever. "It ain't going anywhere, so I accept it," he says.)

Williams has great hands. Only two rotation players -- Williams and Nerlens Noel -- averaged more than 1.5 steals and three blocks per 36 minutes last season, according to Basketball-Reference. The Celtics have tried everything from switching to blitzing with Williams, and he has looked at home doing all of it.

"He has natural ability on defense that not a lot of young bigs have," says Al Horford, a teammate both now and during Williams' rookie season. "From our very first pickup game, that stood out."

The raw materials of a special two-way center are here. That's why the Celtics' front office frantically canvassed sources in the middle of the 2018 draft, trying to figure out why Williams was slipping -- whether there was some medical issue -- and if they should trade up to get him, sources say.

The issue has been consistency. Williams has played only 113 games in three seasons, due mostly to nagging injuries. As Sam Vecenie has pointed out on the Game Theory podcast, Williams has logged 30 or more minutes in exactly one game.

On defense, his fundamentals come and go. Williams sometimes stands up instead of holding his crouch, and droops his arms to his sides. "I have to improve my stance -- my posture," he says. He can't resist some pump fakes. "That's hard, trust me," he says, laughing.

He can rotate late, and chase blocks he has no chance at -- leaving the glass naked. He sometimes swings his arms down instead of staying vertical. Boston coaches have been on him to keep blocks inbounds instead of swatting them into the stands. Back-to-basket behemoths -- a dwindling group -- can shove him backward.

As a rookie defending pick-and-rolls, Williams often abandoned ball handlers too early to get back to his man -- conceding easy drives. Now, he sometimes overcompensates by lingering too long on the ball, allowing his man to skulk behind him for pocket passes:

Mastering that stuff takes years, but Williams is trending the right way. He became more diligent on the glass last season.

Even his passing can go haywire, though it's not always his fault. He sees the game so fast, some of his passes -- especially tip passes on offensive rebounds -- catch teammates off guard.

"I just gotta slow it down a little sometimes," Williams says, "and stop throwing so many bullets."

The combined passing between Horford and Williams is the main reason the Celtics -- and the two principles -- are optimistic the double-big pairing can work. Horford can stretch the floor, then pump and drive, and lob to Williams in the dunker spot. Williams can orchestrate while Horford screens in off-ball split actions.

Space will open when Boston goes smaller, with only one of the Williams-Horford tandem. Williams is a cagey hand-off guy, outthinking defenses by flipping the direction of his screens and signaling his shooters to flare away for corner jumpers. He is starting to eat up the space defenses give him with hard dribbles leading into soft-touch paint shots:

He slips hard out of picks, and knows all the reads before he catches the ball: dunker spot, corner shooters, wing shooters.

The Celtics expect Williams to shoot more jumpers at some point. Posting up guards on switches will be one of the final frontiers -- something Williams hasn't done much, even as several teams, including the Brooklyn Nets in the playoffs, have switched point guards onto him.

Development is uncertain. Williams might top out as an average center; the Celtics paid him as such in his recent contract extension.

But the upside is so much higher -- like All-Star high -- and if Williams stays healthy, he's a good bet to unlock at least some of it.

The article, if you have Insider, has vids that show the points the author is making about his game.

[Who]

Who are the other players in the 5 most intriguing?

[Sophomore]

“The Celtics have tried everything from switching to blitzing with Williams, and he has looked at home doing all of it.”

“On defense, his fundamentals come and go.”

Now I’ve got whiplash. That second statement is, to me, closer to the truth than the first. RWIII has been pretty slow out of the gate this year; I think/hope it’s because he still getting used to new schemes and roles and that it will become easier for him.

[nickagneta]

Who are the other players in the 5 most intriguing?

Darius Garland, Chuma Okeke, OG Anunoby and Talen Horton-Tucker

[Jvalin]

Agreed on OG Anunoby. I reckon he'll be last season's Jerami Grant.

I'm lower on Timelord than most of you guys are. The way I see it, he's a rim runner, hence a role player. I'm low on his perimeter defense. He's definitely great in his role though (provided he stays healthy).

[Celtics2021]

I think this is a pretty fair article.  I said earlier in the offseason that the Celtics best chance to get a third star with the J's is by Time Lord putting it together and becoming that star.  I don't think it's likely.  He's got a lot to work on, and health is a MAJOR issue, so it's definitely under a 50% chance.  But I think it's more likely that he makes that leap than it is we pull off a major trade to get that third star.  He's shown the ability to be an impact player at both ends of the court, and if he can put it together and stay healthier, look out.

[Who]

Who are the other players in the 5 most intriguing?

Darius Garland, Chuma Okeke, OG Anunoby and Talen Horton-Tucker

Thank you.