When the Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Derrick Williams second overall in 2011, general manager David Kahn envisioned a bulldozing finisher in the paint who would be nearly unguardable after adding a jumper.
For almost four years, the picture was never completed and the Timberwolves dumped him on the Sacramento Kings in November 2013. But the 23-year-old is finally delivering.
In 20 games under George Karl, Williams is shooting 39.3 percent from behind the arc, which is blowing away his career 30.3 average. The forward isn’t limiting his sample size either, launching 2.8 triples per contest. In the span, Williams has boosted his points per game to 9.1 from 7.4 despite logging roughly two more minutes an appearance.
All it took was hard work, and a few new head coaches. By the end of last season, Williams was shooting 28.6 percent from downtown and his mechanics were a mess. The 6-foot-8, 240-pounder leaned through his release like an amateur Kobe impersonator and rarely shot in rhythm. Williams got to work with Kings assistants in the offseason and continued taking hundreds of jumpers a day.
“I was off-balance,” Williams told Cowbell Kingdom. “I had to watch a lot of film. Just getting up shots man, and having somebody there to correct it. I think watching every single shot, recording workouts, recording my shot. ‘Oh, okay. I’m leaning, I’m leaning, I’m leaning.’ Especially when I’m tired, you got to really focus on jumping straight up and down.”
Williams was showing marginal improvement through the All-Star break, but it was Karl who started tapping the wing’s offensive potential. The head coach liked what he saw in practice and gave Williams the green light to bomb away, which was unprecedented for the youngster.
“I think having a style of play that fits me a lot better than previous coaches, I think that helps out a lot,” Williams explained. “I think the confidence that coach has in me to shoot those shots, it helps out a lot too. But you know like you said, shooting 39 percent with Karl, I think that’s great. My goal, coming out (the season) was to shoot at least high 30’s, try and get to about 40 so I think I’m right on pace.”
Under Karl, Williams has increased his catch and shoot attempts from 28.6 to 44.3 percent, simultaneously scrapping his jumpers off the dribble. The former lottery pick is at his best when fed the ball, and Andre Miller has answered the call, assisting the forward 25 times on total makes since his trade arrival.
A look at Williams’ 3-pointers with Karl below:
And his 3’s this season with Michael Malone and Tyrone Corbin:
Since the All-Star break, Williams has affirmed his comfort zone in the corners , while reducing his dependence diagonally. He’s rarely lined up from the top of the key under Karl, which he may want to test.
By stretching the floor, Williams has helped his cause as an overpowering slasher. Opponents are now forced to step out to defend him, which combined with his strength and dribbling prowess, has made the fourth-year pro a frustrating defensive assignment.
“Oh yeah, people are closing out a lot harder,” Williams noted. “From before, people might contest but people aren’t jumping. Now trying to block the shot or contest it as much as they can. I think that just opens up the drive a lot more, so even tonight (versus the 76ers), I had a couple times where I fake and go to the hoop. So just knocking down shots helps out a lot.”
Catching defenders off their heels has been a large reason why Williams has had a few SportsCenter Top 10 moments in recent weeks.
Williams is far from a finished product. He doesn’t set up teammates (0.6 assists per game) and hardly rebounds despite his size (2.5 per contest). Williams struggles to defend opponents inside and out, allowing his man to shoot 2.7 percent better than their season average.
“I would think the best thing is that he take baby steps,” Karl told the media last Tuesday. “He’s not going to go from an average defensive player to a good defensive player. It’s going to take some time.“
For most of his NBA career, the rap on Williams was that he could never develop. Yet he’s conquered one of his biggest weaknesses, at least for now. As his summer free agency looms, Williams may have convinced the Kings and other organizations that he might be just a late bloomer.
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