In the minutes that he did play he was instant offense and efficient to boot.
Yes, the sample size is very limited, and much of it garbage time, but he did put up 21.3 pts/36 with a PER = 18.8 and a FG% = .500. There's definitely some potential there.
Some guys in the media think he could be the surprise starter at SG.
Mathews, as the incumbent, will be the starter by default. Right now, Williams most likely role will be as instant offense off the bench. He has the tools to be a very good sixth man, and possibly a starter at some point in the future, but not yet.
But then I looked at his career numbers, in two seasons:
24 games played | 149 total minutes
That's in one season, 2011-12.
They must see something in practice because he's essentially a rookie.
He was a rookie last season, and as stated, put up 21.3 pts/36 with a PER of 18.8 and a FG% of .500. Again, limited sample size, but how many rookies put up those kind of numbers? He also has the tools to be an above average defender. The kid definitely has potential and was coming on strong before the shoulder injury. I'm eager to see what he can do with more PT and a bigger role.
It will be interesting to see how these young players grow over the next couple seasons. Lillard, Williams, Smith and Batum are all roughly the same age, and Leonard a couple years younger. It will be fun to watch these guys grow together. If a couple of them reach their potential, this team could be pretty good when these guys start to enter their prime and Aldridge is the proven veteran and still productive at 30 years old. Of course, there will be trades and other players drafted, but three years from now, a starting line-up of: Leonard, Aldridge, Batum, Williams and Lillard could be pretty good. There's a lot of length and athleticism there. At they very least, they'd be fun to watch.
BNM
