Photo by Emily Bray/Chronicle File Photo
There was 17:56 left on the clock in the first half of the Duke-Wake Forest game Feb. 26 when the tirade started.
In Cameron Indoor Stadium as a student and not a journalist, I was sitting five rows behind the Demon Deacons’ bench, and freshman guard Elliot Williams had just forced his third steal in the first 2:04 of the game. The Cameron Crazies were going nuts, but I could still hear my friend next to me.
“See? He’s a lot better than you always said," Nick yelled over the crowd's roar. "He’s a lot better than anyone gives him credit for. You were completely wrong!”
I have to set the record straight. I’ve been skeptical of Williams’ play since the beginning of the season, but my argument was never that Williams couldn’t play. I pointed out his flaws, and despite starting and logging major minutes in the last four games, Williams has by no means proven that his game doesn’t still contain the weaknesses that other teams can exploit in the postseason.
Let’s take a quick look at Williams’ game:
1. “Elliot struggles to hit shots from long-range,” I complained from the non-TV side.
Look at the numbers. He is 6-for-21 on 3-pointers for the season—that’s a 28.6 percent mark. And sure, Williams does shoot 47.6 percent from the floor, but most of his point production comes from layups and dunks. That night Nick called me out? Eight of Williams' 11 points were from in close.
From the line he hasn’t been too much better. A 51.6 percent mark from the free-throw stripe is worse than Shaq’s career average of 52.8%.
2. “Elliot needs to learn to distribute the ball better,” I added.
Again, the numbers back this up, but you can see it in his game. When one of the other players gives Williams the ball, he gets in a three-point stance, and by the way he looks at the basket, it seems as if one of three things is going to happen:
- He will drive and dunk.
- He will drive and miss a dunk or layup.
- He will drive and get fouled.
Williams has been a great spark for the team, but in 361 minutes so far this season, he has 13 assists and 23 turnovers. He’s a guard, yet out of players that get in for an average of at least 10 minutes per game, Williams’s assist-to-turnover ratio of 1-to-1.8 is better than only Lance Thomas’.
So then why has Williams made such an impact?
William has arrived, but it isn’t because the flaws in his game have disappeared. He just looks a whole lot more comfortable playing the role on the team that fits him. Right now, he is a good fit because he gets to the rim at will, gives the Blue Devils a much-needed boost in energy and is a great on-ball defender.
In every game Williams has registered a steal, the Blue Devils have won. Then again, he played a combined 22 minutes in Duke’s five losses—well below his average of 13.9 minutes per game.
The other parts of his play can improve—he is, after all, still just a freshman.
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