I don't think the issue with Robert is his offence (as strange as that sounds), he just really needs to work on his lateral quickness so we don't need to use him as a drop big when guarding the high PnR.
TP! Couldn't agree more! Here's the problem though: Can you name a player who didn't move well laterally early on his career and became a good on-ball defender later on? Imo, either you got it or you don't (at least to a large extent).
Timelord is only 6'8''. He's the same height as Tatum and Hayward, he's super athletic, yet he cannot play D on the perimeter. If he moved well laterally, he would have already become our starter. This is the one thing that holds him back. Unlike Theis, he cannot switch ball screens on the perimeter.
I don't buy this. Theis got burned on ball screens just as much as TL in the playoffs. Especially vs Toronto/Ibaka. Just no one talks about that. Plus Williams did a better job defending Bam than Theis, who got destroyed by him.
Ibaka wasn't beating anyone. He was drilling 3's off of PnR actions with two very clever guards.
Bam is a special category (with Giannis/AD) who can take someone off the dribble, read the defense and is strong enough to drive right through a full sized center and finish over them. Perhaps Williams would be occasionally better against that particular situation, but those guys are superstars and kill everyone.
The far more common problem is when teams force switches with wings and guards. Every team in the league has smaller players that have moves to freeze big guys in space. Theis really gets low against smaller guys and does a great job. Williams gets toyed with. It isn't just quickness, its a balance/read/reaction skill.
Re Ibaka, why don't you tell that to Brad Stevens? This after Game 4 loss vs. Raptors (from Forbes):
"Robert Williams was productive in the first half of the Celtics’ Game 4 loss to the Toronto Raptors. In 13 minutes, the second-year forward gave Boston six points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal on 3-of-4 shooting. He served as a helpful burst of energy off the bench, but then Williams barely touched the floor in the second half.
When asked Sunday about the decision to play Williams in just two of the game’s final 24 minutes, Brad Stevens highlighted Boston’s trouble defending Serge Ibaka in the pick-and-roll.
“The Ibaka pick-and-rolls were obviously giving us fits, so we went to a smaller, switching lineup there during his normal stint,” Stevens said.
Ibaka went 7-of-9 (4-of-4 3PT) in 22 minutes en route to an 18-point outing, but Williams wasn’t necessarily the root cause of that success. Three of Ibaka’s four 3’s came with Daniel Theis on the floor. The fourth make was on Williams, however, after he stayed with the ball-handler (Kyle Lowry) for too long, creating a wide gap between himself and Ibaka, who took full advantage."
Topic: Robert Williams III Offensive Abilities (Read 12784 times)