AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2006 > October > 09
Monday, October 9, 2006
Feeling better about Shelden
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After further review, that trepidation we all had about Shelden Williams contributing big things as a rookie might have been misguided. I’ll admit to my part, especially after watching him struggle a bit during summer league.
But Hawks coach Mike Woodson said something to me then that didn’t totally make sense until I watched the Hawks scrimmage Saturday morning at Woodward Academy. Woodson said “Shelden will show up better when he’s out there with better competition.”
Now I don’t think he was cracking the guys who were on all those summer league teams in Utah. I think he was speaking more about the fact that a guy who is as well versed in the nuances of the game and his position the way Williams appears to be, simply looks better when there are lots of good players sharing the same space.
Williams bumps defenders on screens, knows how and when to rotate on defense, and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, no matter who he’s battling for the ball or low post position. With so little structure in summer league competition, it was hard to see all those subtle things he does well. But with a week of training camp in the books, it’s easy to see why the coaching staff has been so much more positive than the rest of us about what Williams might be able to contribute.
Initially, it was his size that had me concerned. Williams wasn’t 6-10 and 250 pounds, which, for some unknown reason, I thought were his dimensions. He’s about the same height as Marvin Williams and Josh Smith. And only a few pounds heavier than either of those guys. But he plays a lot bigger than his listed size. Much like one of those “undersized” running backs, Shelden Williams is the one guy who doesn’t seem overly concerned with size, or lack thereof.
It will be interesting to see what toll a bruising NBA season will take on him - and please believe that the length of the season will get him at some point, it gets everyone eventually. Still, I’ll have to admit to being pleasantly surprised at what I’ve seen from Williams thus far. Those early reviews of him were probably a bit harsh and premature.
And for those of you who love to read a headline here and assume that’s what I said about something, I didn’t make any Rookie of the Year predictions. I’m simply saying that many people have made hasty decisions about what type of player we thought Williams was and that was probably something we shouldn’t have done.
