Atlanta Hawks: Can Lou Williams Be The Main Man?

While the offseason is generally considered to be a time of wild trade rumors, it’s much more accurate to describe it as a time of overanalysis and question marks. What changes can this team make to get those extra five wins? How can that player improve defensively? For the Atlanta Hawks, one of the biggest questions they face is who is going to fill the scoring void left by Josh Smith? With Paul Millsap and Al Horford as two of the primary scoring options inside, Atlanta will also need a volume scorer who is more dynamic. Upon his return from injury, Lou Williams could be the man to step up.

Lou Williams during his time in Philadelphia. (Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr)

Louis Williams returned to the state of Georgia before the beginning of last season. Williams, born in Tennessee, spent his youth playing high school basketball at South Gwinnett High School in Snellville, Ga., 25 miles east of Atlanta. He was one of the last players to enter the NBA straight out of high school, being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2005. In the seven years Williams spent in Philadelphia, he established himself as one of the better combo guards and role players in the league. Having returned to the familiarity of Atlanta, Williams and the Hawks seemed to be a perfect fit, until Jan. 18 when disaster struck.

Injury

In the second quarter of a game with the Brooklyn Nets in the Barclays Center, Williams intercepted a pass and charged down court towards the rim. In place of the simple lay-up or dunk that would usually finish such a play for Williams, he pulled up and disappeared into the crowd. Following post-game tests, he was diagnosed with the dreaded torn anterior cruciate ligament and his season came to an immediate end.

At the time of Williams injury the Hawks were 22-17 and surprising people who expected them to drop off without Joe Johnson. To their credit, Atlanta managed to close out the regular season 22-21 in his absence. There were no real drops in numbers or percentages without Williams either, his importance has always been much more intangible than that. As preseason got under way this week, Williams returned to 2-on-2 practices and with his rehab progressing well, the Hawks hope to see him return early in the season. If he does, Williams could be a real difference maker.

Bench Specialist

The Tennessee native is a rare specialist in the league, a true impact player coming off the bench. Of the 494 regular season games Williams has played since turning pro, he has started in only 9.5 percent of them. This hasn’t prevented Williams from being a potent offensive weapon though; for his career he averages 11.6 points per game in 22.4 minutes. That’s 18.6 points per 36 minutes, an indicator of what more starts could do for Williams. These are undoubtedly significant and impressive numbers, but it was just the general loss of Williams’ skills in their rotation that hurt the Hawks most.

With the development of the new fast-break Hawks offense last year, former coach Larry Drew often liked his team to play with smaller men in the backcourt to provide spacing for those up front. Last season, Atlanta was at its most fluid going forward when two of Jeff Teague, Devin Harris or Williams were on the floor together. All three men are capable of scoring in a variety of fashions and when two of the three played together, they helped to create more time, space and opportunities for the skilled big men up front.

With Williams out, Harris spent more time in the starting lineup alongside Teague, leaving the bench with very little offensive punch. In tight games, the plan from the start of the season was to have Williams lead the second unit offensively and keep the scoreboard ticking over. After his injury, the Hawks were instead looking to the likes of Shelvin Mack and John Jenkins to carry the offensive load. Although the starters were performing admirably, the lack of scorers on the bench was a significant factor in the Hawks eventual downfall.

New Role

When “Lou Will” does return from injury, the system is unlikely to be very different to the one that Larry Drew was trying to implement when he last played. If anything, Mike Budenholzer will want his team to run it faster, preaching constant ball and player movement. This should suit Williams down to the ground and his versatility as a scorer will really stand out. Much of the recent talk from the Hawks camp indicates that the starting five come opening night will be Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver as guards, with DeMarre Carroll, Paul Millsap and Al Horford as the forward trio. The problem with that, and it is one which has already reared its head in the small and unreliable sample of preseason games, is that Teague is the only true ball handler. If Teague is solely responsible for running the plays every time down the floor, there’s a danger that the Hawks offense will become stagnant and predictable, with the talented point guard’s scoring opportunities reduced also.

Lou Williams 2012/13 shot chart. (Photo Credit: NBA.com/stats

The introduction of Williams in place of either Korver or Carroll would give the Hawks rotation a completely different look, though. Williams is a solid all-around shooter. For his career, he has averaged 42.2 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from long range. On top of this, Williams is a highly competent finisher at the rim for a man of his size. Capable of explosive dunks and athletic lay-ups, he is aggressive in attacking the rim, giving himself the opportunity to get regular trips to the free throw stripe where he averages better than 80 percent. As last season’s shot chart shows, Williams has very few weak spots and a wide range of locations he can let fly from.

Having played much of his career at the point, the 26-year-old is capable of running an offense and is a good passer. Averaging only three assists a game for the course of his career is an underachievement for Williams in that category and definitely a number he could improve upon.

Williams has all the talent necessary to take a starring role in this new phase of Atlanta’s development. In time, it may be proven that Williams is a weapon that is best utilized off the bench, but I feel it’s time he’s given a chance at a true starting role. There are two things standing between Williams and the elite guards in the NBA at the moment. First, is Williams confident and determined enough to seize the limelight of a starring role or is he satisfied to be a great role player off the pine. And secondly, how well and quickly can he recover from injury. A torn ACL is one of the worst injuries that any athlete can experience, particularly in basketball where the knees take such a pounding. Although Williams is expected to return sooner rather than later, Derrick Rose has shown that if a player doesn’t feel comfortable that they are fully recovered from such a serious injury, they are more than entitled to bide their time. When he does come back, will the explosive bounce still be in his legs to take off for dunks? This question and all of the others will be answered in time, but a healthy Lou Williams has everything that’s needed to elevate the Hawks play to the next level.

[slider_pro id=”1″]