Suns News: The Offseason (2016)

[OE32]

https://twitter.com/fishsports/status/746401181891592192

LOL. They want the player but not the contract.

Let's just wait until FA gets underway. All it takes is two teams to want that contract, and we'll get be able to get something - probably insignificant - in return.

[OE32]

Ooh, Trevor Booker's UFA. Wouldn't mind adding him as a 4/5.

[Cap]

No more brothers!

Oh, wait. He's the brother of a different Devin Booker? Then I guess it's okay.

[Split T]

https://twitter.com/MikeAScotto/status/746392363216543746

Troy Williams is the definition of an athlete, but not a basketball player. Very intriguing athletic ability though.

[Superbone]

McDonough was just on the radio telling fans that we haven't seen the real Brandon Knight yet.

Why not?

I imagine he's inferring he hasn't been fully healthy

And the truth is that it's indeed been the case. But the tempatation to say just disregard the point is strong.

The complaints we've had about AASE over the last year plus aren't about his quickness or hang time, they're about his decision making. I don't see how that can be explained away as an injury.

QFT

[Superbone]

https://twitter.com/MikeAScotto/status/746392363216543746

Troy Williams is the definition of an athlete, but not a basketball player. Very intriguing athletic ability though.

McD mentioned him on the radio that he was happy to be bringing him in for summer league as he fell through the cracks in the draft. I don't know anything about him.

[Split T]

6'7, very athletic. He's an inconsistent shooter, not terrible though. I think I read he shot 34% from 3 last year. Not a great ball handler and turns it over too much. If he can hit the corner 3, he could turn into a decent 3 and D guy. He's got the athletic ability to be a good defender.

A year or two ago I thought he had a little Marion in him, but he's not as big or as long and wouldn't be able to guard 4's in the NBA. And as good an athlete that he is, he wasn't quite at Marion's level athletically.

[carey]

6'7, very athletic. He's an inconsistent shooter, not terrible though. I think I read he shot 34% from 3 last year. Not a great ball handler and turns it over too much. If he can hit the corner 3, he could turn into a decent 3 and D guy. He's got the athletic ability to be a good defender.

A year or two ago I thought he had a little Marion in him, but he's not as big or as long and wouldn't be able to guard 4's in the NBA. And as good an athlete that he is, he wasn't quite at Marion's level athletically.

DX has some info on him.

Troy Williams has struggled to meet the high expectations placed on him coming into Indiana as a top 30 recruit in the class of 2013 based on the RSCI. Although he has improved his offensive production throughout his career, culminating in averaging 20.3 points and 8.9 assists per 40 minutes as a junior on a 59.6% true shooting percentage, Williams has struggled to put it all together consistently and has left many NBA scouts with questions about his NBA fit and role.

An incredible athlete with great open court speed and a high level of explosiveness, Williams is still developing his on-court skill to match his physical ability. He has good size for a wing at 6'7” but doesn't have a long wingspan at just 6'8. His frame has improved and is up to a strong 218 pounds which he will need to use to his advantage with his relative lack of length.

Williams is most efficient scoring off shots created for him by his teammates either in transition or off cuts from the three-point line. He has an extra gear attacking paint and can finish well at the rim at a mark of 59.2% according to Synergy Sports Technology. Over 52% of his field goal attempts came at the rim according to Synergy with Williams still struggling with his confidence and consistency from the perimeter.

Even though he was a more willing shooter this year, Williams still isn't an overly reliable threat from beyond the arc. He attempted a small sample of only 75 three point attempts converting 34.7% last season. His mechanics are inconsistent, as he often shoots off balance shots and has a noticeable hitch at the top of his release that limits his accuracy. It's becoming harder and harder for small forwards to earn minutes in the NBA without being a spot-up threat so it's very likely Williams will have to improve his shooting ability to break into a rotation at the next level.

One of his biggest areas for improvement is his decision making and feel for the game with the ball. He turns the ball over 4.1 times per 40 minutes, second most among small forwards in our top 100, often times being too careless with the ball by driving right into the heart of the defense or putting his head down on penetration causing him to lose sight of the floor. His shot selection can be wild as well at times with Williams forcing up contested midrange twos instead of letting the play develop or getting himself into a position where he has to attempt a wild shot at the rim against a shot blocker.

The Hoosiers did try to develop him as a shot creator out of the pick and rolls but he struggled to make the proper decisions and reads to be an efficient ball screen player. He has shown some passing skills coming off screens with an overall mark of 3.1 assists per 40. He won't make many complicated reads but can make the simple pass to the open man closest to him when he keeps his head up and sees the whole floor.
He doesn't yet have the ability to beat his defender in dribble penetration situations either and it doesn't appear that NBA teams will be able to rely on him as an offensive creator, at least at the start of his career. Williams has shown flashes of ball skills but will need to make some big leaps to be able to be efficient against NBA defenders. If Williams wants to be able to contribute offensively he will need to use his athleticism to get easy points in transition, make well-timed cuts to the rim and develop an outside shot. From there, he can try to become a better shot creator to complete his offensive profile and become a bigger weapon.

Given his limitations offensively at this stage, Williams will need to focus on providing defensive value. He lacks the elite length of some other small forwards but he has the height, strength, agility and lateral quickness to be able to guard the perimeter and switch screening actions. He needs to be fully locked in at all times as he can currently be a little inconsistent on that end, getting beat off the dribble or losing his man too often off the ball. He has all the tools needed to be a defensive stopper but he needs the mental makeup and consistent effort to be able to take on the toughest defensive challenges.

Williams can also contribute by attacking the glass to help rebound with his explosiveness and ability to chase down loose balls. His 8.9 total rebounds per 40 ranked fifth most among small forwards in our top 100. He crashes hard from the perimeter and is often the first to the missed shot which can help his team control the rebounding game.

Looking the part of a NBA wing, the 21-year-old Williams has to complete his offensive repertoire by adding a perimeter shot while improving his defensive consistency to round out his overall skill set. Even if he doesn't get drafted, he will definitely get his chance to make a roster through summer league and training camps and NBA teams will certainly be keeping an eye on him throughout the beginning of his career to see if he takes the necessary steps to improve key points of his game.

[Cap]

Lightest players in NBA since 1990:

133 lbs., Spud Webb
135 lbs., Earl Boykins
136 lbs., Muggsy Bogues
140 lbs., Greg Grant
149 lbs., Tyler Ulis
150 lbs., Elliot Perry

If nothing else, these guys are all fun to watch.

[Superbone]

Lightest players in NBA since 1990:

133 lbs., Spud Webb
135 lbs., Earl Boykins
136 lbs., Muggsy Bogues
140 lbs., Greg Grant
149 lbs., Tyler Ulis
150 lbs., Elliot Perry

If nothing else, these guys are all fun to watch.

Most of them had decent careers too. Greg Grant being the outlier.

[Aztec Sunsfan]

With that size and weight, you have to be really smart and crafty to make it into the league, and given that he already got into the Kentucky program, and at some point was considered first round material, I think he has what it takes to be a succesful backup. Interesting that with size issues and all, he still got Defensive Player of the Year honors, and altough he obviously won't be a stopper at this level, maybe that still translates in just a little below average liabilty.

[O_Gardino]

Lightest players in NBA since 1990:

133 lbs., Spud Webb
135 lbs., Earl Boykins
136 lbs., Muggsy Bogues
140 lbs., Greg Grant
149 lbs., Tyler Ulis
150 lbs., Elliot Perry

If nothing else, these guys are all fun to watch.

SOCKS!

Still one of my favorite players.

[ShelC]

Watson adding Ty Corbin to the bench.

http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2016/ ... ce=twitter

[Superbone]

Watson adding Ty Corbin to the bench.

http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2016/ ... ce=twitter

Cool. Always liked him. Loved his tenacity as a Sun. So two pretty experienced assistant coaches now.

[INFORMER]

Corbin was brutal as a coach in Utah. But I'm sure that doesn't matter.

[Ring_Wanted]

Was going to say the same. Corbin sucked in Utah and their fans were relieved as hell when he was gone.

[JustWinBaby]

Corbin was brutal as a coach in Utah. But I'm sure that doesn't matter.

Corbin was horrible as a coach in Utah. It appeared that the players in Utah really did not like him. What is he going to be in charge of?

Maybe he studied philosophy in the off season with coach Wooden and will be in charge of all the filed trips.

I really want to like Watson but he makes it tough, most of the time.

Pleas make me eat crow.

[Superbone]

Corbin was brutal as a coach in Utah. But I'm sure that doesn't matter.

Corbin was horrible as a coach in Utah. It appeared that the players in Utah really did not like him. What is he going to be in charge of?

Maybe he studied philosophy in the off season with coach Wooden and will be in charge of all the filed trips.

I really want to like Watson but he makes it tough, most of the time.

Pleas make me eat crow.

Please!

[SDC]

I hope bender and chriss get meaningful minutes on the court. Id rather see them a
Play a full 15-20 minutes rather then getting 5-7 mins each

Only way to do that is to not play them together during the games, meaning if bender is scheduled to play, chriss should take the day off. And vice versa. (unless there are injuries to suns big men)

Each player should get to play 41 games each during the season

[carey]

I wish I had some fancy video evidence to back that up but my hunch is by next Christmas you'll see a dozen think pieces by Lowe, the Starters, and/or the Ringer showing gifs of Paul in the pick-and-roll and comparing them to Ulis. Especially with 2 long PFs that can both shoot to run it with.

Here is an interesting video breaking down Ulis' game. At the end they compare him to Chris Paul and there's some footage of both players looking eerily similar.

[youtube][/youtube]