More positive Press for Williams - NBC Sports

[NomadVol]

Player of the Year Power Rankings: How good is Grant Williams?

Player of the Year Power Rankings: How good is Grant Williams?
1. ZION WILLIAMSON, Duke
Duke has not taken the court in nearly two weeks. The last time we saw them play, Williamson put up 17 points and 13 boards in 25 foul-plagued minutes against Texas Tech in Madison Square Garden. Personally, I don’t think there really is a debate at this point. Zion is the front-runner.
2. GRANT WILLIAMS, Tennessee
We all love Dedric Lawson because he’s a double-double machine as a small-ball four whose perimeter ability and passing skill allows Udoka Azubuike to thrive in the post, and he’s doing all of that for a top five team in the country.
Well, Grant Williams is averaging 20.1 points, 8.3 boards and 4.1 assists (more than double Lawson’s output) this year. He’s a better defender than Lawson. He’s shooting the ball better from the floor and from three. He’s a more efficient player. He has a better offensive rating on KenPom. And he’s doing all of this for a team that is ranked higher in the AP Poll than Kansas is.
If you love Lawson as a Player of the Year candidate, you are mandated by law to love Williams more.
Anyway, here is a quick breakdown of his ability to pass the ball and what it does for Tennessee’s offense: (This is a video on the page not a written analysis, just and FYI if you were wondering).


If its already posted, my bad.

 

[timmessee]

"...mandated by law to love Williams more." I like that.

 

[LA vol7]

Is it time now to start thinking of Williams and Schofield as the modern day Ernie and Bernie show? These two will be looked upon for along time much in the same way as King and Greenfield, and may indeed, in the end, accomplish more. It is not out of the question that they will be playing in the final four, or perhaps playing in the National Championship come March. Let's enjoy it while we can! This is truly a special time to be a Basketball Vol.

 

[OffTackleVol]

Is it time now to start thinking of Williams and Schofield as the modern day Ernie and Bernie show? These two will be looked upon for along time much in the same way as King and Greenfield, and may indeed, in the end, accomplish more. It is not out of the question that they will be playing in the final four, or perhaps playing in the National Championship come March. Let's enjoy it while we can! This is truly a special time to be a Basketball Vol.

Yea, Grunfeld and King are a good comparison. King had long arms similar to Williams (both have wing spans of 7 footers), and both were great around the rim and in the paint. Admiral and Ernie both look like they could play linebacker. Another comparison, Kyle Alexander reminds me of Reggie Johnson, especially the way he shoots the ball.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Is it time now to start thinking of Williams and Schofield as the modern day Ernie and Bernie show? These two will be looked upon for along time much in the same way as King and Greenfield, and may indeed, in the end, accomplish more. It is not out of the question that they will be playing in the final four, or perhaps playing in the National Championship come March. Let's enjoy it while we can! This is truly a special time to be a Basketball Vol.

With the exception of Mike Jackson, Grunfeld and King had a lot less around them. Too bad King didn't stick around one final year with Reggie Johnson playing in his 2nd year. Too bad Mears didn't have access to today's pharmaceuticals also.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Williams resembles Grunfeld more when he backs down his defender... but Grunfeld would start farther from the basket (while facing it) and was more accurate from 12-17 feet.

Nobody compares to King. Most intense competitor to ever wear orange. Quicker than any forward TN has ever had and maybe any guard not named Bone as well.

 

[orangemadam]

Very close to Ernie & Bernie, but I don't think either will have influence in the NBA like King did. Bernie is a Hall of Famer. I enjoyed watching them play.

 

[Vols410]

Also second on the Wooden Award Watchlist on ESPN. Admiral in the top 15 as well.

Grant Williams: Tennessee's star is a two-way player and the catalyst for a Tennessee team that could win the SEC and make a run to the national title. Williams, the reigning SEC player of the year, has made strides in every key area of his game. He's averaging 20.1 PPG and connecting on 80 percent of his free throw attempts. He's second on his team in both steals (1.1 SPG) and blocks (1.8 BPG). Against Gonzaga, ranked No. 1 in the country at the time, he finished with this stat line: 16 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists.

 

[cardvolfan]

Williams resembles Grunfeld more when he backs down his defender... but Grunfeld would start farther from the basket (while facing it) and was more accurate from 12-17 feet.

Nobody compares to King. Most intense competitor to ever wear orange. Quicker than any forward TN has ever had and maybe any guard not named Bone as well.

I doubt we will ever see anyone with the talent King had. It was basketball skill in its purest form. That said, King had various issues non-related to basketball and wasn't the all-around person Grant is. Looking at King's scoring average, one would assume he was selfish on the court, but his passing ability was terrific and he really wasn't selfish.

 

[LA vol7]

Michael Jordan said that was Bernard King was probably the best he ever played against!

 

[1985Vols]

Is it time now to start thinking of Williams and Schofield as the modern day Ernie and Bernie show? These two will be looked upon for along time much in the same way as King and Greenfield, and may indeed, in the end, accomplish more. It is not out of the question that they will be playing in the final four, or perhaps playing in the National Championship come March. Let's enjoy it while we can! This is truly a special time to be a Basketball Vol.

They definitely should/ will accomplish more than the teams Ernie and Bernie were on. However, the NCAA tourney was only 32 teams back then and their first round game was against Syracuse. King is the greatest player ever to wear the orange. He averaged a double double his entire career and averaged 20+ points all 3 years he was here. He would have obliterated our scoring record had he played 4 seasons. Grunfeld was a brute, much like Schofield, and had a like able personality as well. With that said, this years team is the most likable team I can remember I my 50+ years watching the Vols. If they make the Final 4, they will go down as the all-time greatest team in school history.

 

[livefaith]

Michael Jordan said that was Bernard King was probably the best he ever played against!

Saw an old interview of Dr. J recently. He said the same thing.

Here's some refreshers on the greatest Vol ...

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Saw an old interview of Dr. J recently. He said the same thing.

Larry Bird said the same.

Bernard had one of the quickest releases in NBA history. Notice in almost all of those highlights, he's letting the ball fly while the defenders' feet are still on the ground. The best basketball players in the world had no answer. Guard him close and he'd blow right by them. Back off and his 12-15 foot shot goes up before anybody could contest it. TN's GOAT. The SEC's GOAT. Had his knee not been ripped apart in 1985 (when he was the most prolific scorer in the NBA), he would be in every debate as to the NBA's GOAT.

 

[vol-un-tear]

He’s a great player and even a greater person!

 

[livefaith]

Larry Bird said the same.

Bernard had one of the quickest releases in NBA history. Notice in almost all of those highlights, he's letting the ball fly while the defenders' feet are still on the ground. The best basketball players in the world had no answer. Guard him close and he'd blow right by them. Back off and his 12-15 foot shot goes up before anybody could contest it. TN's GOAT. The SEC's GOAT. Had his knee not been ripped apart in 1985 (when he was the most prolific scorer in the NBA), he would be in every debate as to the NBA's GOAT.

That release! Jordan had that fade away. Lew Alcindor the sky hook. Bird had that high release near set shot. Curry has that lightening set shot off the dribble.
But BK had the jumper where he went to his highest point as fast as possible and the ball came out immediately at the high point. The only way to block it was to be 7'+ and covering him tight. Or to jump as high as him at the exact same time which was a crap shoot w 1:1000 odds. Body up and he just blows by. Unreal.
Although they lost that game in the first video, pay attention to Chicago's defensive strategy the last 2 possessions of the game. Jordan, probably the greatest defensive 2 in history locks up w BK. Wow!! Jordan got 2 stops in a row on him, but Bulls couldn't score to win. That's some sick ball right there.

 

[Daloth]

Love Williams and Schofield, but other than the fact there's two of them that are really good at once there's no comparison to Ernie and Bernie, and its nothing against them, its the fact that if you made a basketball player to score in a lab with all the best attributes he would still lose in a game against Bernard King.

People love Durant as a scorer, but he isn't even in the same category as Bernard King offensively (passing as well) when you break everything down. The absolute closest we ever saw was peak Carmelo (because of his ability to do anything to most defenders in the post as well), but we only saw that for maybe two years, whereas King did it from the second he was on an NBA court to the moment his knees went out sadly. I don't know that he'd have gone down as THE goat but he would have absolutely gone down as the offensive one.

 

[zjcvols]

Love Williams and Schofield, but other than the fact there's two of them that are really good at once there's no comparison to Ernie and Bernie, and its nothing against them, its the fact that if you made a basketball player to score in a lab with all the best attributes he would still lose in a game against Bernard King.

People love Durant as a scorer, but he isn't even in the same category as Bernard King offensively (passing as well) when you break everything down. The absolute closest we ever saw was peak Carmelo (because of his ability to do anything to most defenders in the post as well), but we only saw that for maybe two years, whereas King did it from the second he was on an NBA court to the moment his knees went out sadly. I don't know that he'd have gone down as THE goat but he would have absolutely gone down as the offensive one.

Durant’s a better scorer and player than King. That’s not even a shot at King. But Durant is that good.

 

[Dr H Lecter]

They definitely should/ will accomplish more than the teams Ernie and Bernie were on. However, the NCAA tourney was only 32 teams back then and their first round game was against Syracuse. King is the greatest player ever to wear the orange. He averaged a double double his entire career and averaged 20+ points all 3 years he was here. He would have obliterated our scoring record had he played 4 seasons. Grunfeld was a brute, much like Schofield, and had a like able personality as well. With that said, this years team is the most likable team I can remember I my 50+ years watching the Vols. If they make the Final 4, they will go down as the all-time greatest team in school history.

You are spot on, my friend. Bernard has the softest touch of any player that ever wore orange. If he kicked the ball toward the goal, it would lay on the rim for a seeming eternity before its fate would be determined. And like the Admiral, Ernie was an enforcer that could take over the game. Only Pistol Pete had more magic with the ball than King that I’ve seen in person.

 

[Dr H Lecter]

Durant’s a better scorer and player than King. That’s not even a shot at King. But Durant is that good.

If King had not been injured, his ceiling was unlimited. Durant is that good and he does have the extra size.

 

[Daloth]

Durant’s a better scorer and player than King. That’s not even a shot at King. But Durant is that good.

He's really not, and its not that close. Durant also is in a vastly different situation than King that benefits him. He went from one super team (Harden, Westbrook, Ibaka, then just Westbrook being a literal statistical anomaly) to another. He's honestly never even been the best player on his own team until the past year with Golden State, and even then its not by a large margin. He is an elite scorer who has become a better defender in an era where scoring is easy on teams where he is either flanked with once in a generation talents that average triple doubles or the best shooting tandem in NBA history. In both scenarios he is often not guarded by the best all around defender, but the one who can stop his shooting best.

You put healthy Bernard King on either of Durant's teams and he averages 5 more points than Durant easily, and probably 5 more assists at minimum.

People really over value Durant and his scoring when factoring in just how much help he consistently has to have to produce.

 

[Pacer92]

You are spot on, my friend. Bernard has the softest touch of any player that ever wore orange. If he kicked the ball toward the goal, it would lay on the rim for a seeming eternity before its fate would be determined. And like the Admiral, Ernie was an enforcer that could take over the game. Only Pistol Pete had more magic with the ball than King that I’ve seen in person.

Agree. I’ll also add, with no disrespect to either Williams or Schofield, Bernard King was the superior athlete of all three...

When healthy, he could do anything and everything he pleased...with unparalleled grace..

 

[zjcvols]

He's really not, and its not that close. Durant also is in a vastly different situation than King that benefits him. He went from one super team (Harden, Westbrook, Ibaka, then just Westbrook being a literal statistical anomaly) to another. He's honestly never even been the best player on his own team until the past year with Golden State, and even then its not by a large margin. He is an elite scorer who has become a better defender in an era where scoring is easy on teams where he is either flanked with once in a generation talents that average triple doubles or the best shooting tandem in NBA history. In both scenarios he is often not guarded by the best all around defender, but the one who can stop his shooting best.

You put healthy Bernard King on either of Durant's teams and he averages 5 more points than Durant easily, and probably 5 more assists at minimum.

People really over value Durant and his scoring when factoring in just how much help he consistently has to have to produce.

Durant is a better ball handler and shooter than King. It’s not even an argument. And I won’t comment on King’s defense since I didn’t watch him play defense every night but Durant is most likely a better defender too.

 

[cardvolfan]

Yes, King is better than Durant. Durant is great. King is in a class by himself.

 

[cardvolfan]

Durant is a better ball handler and shooter than King. It’s not even an argument. And I won’t comment on King’s defense since I didn’t watch him play defense every night but Durant is most likely a better defender too.

Durant is NOT a better shooter than King. Not around the basket and not mid-range. In the 3-point world, yes. But Bernard never needed to develop the 3-ball.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

They're hard to compare since today's NBA is all about shooting 3s.

To suggest that King wasn't a good ball handler is bunk. He wasn't a guard, distributing wasn't his role. But he'd take the ball into the heart of defenses starting far away from the basket and defenders weren't taking the ball away from him. King was unstoppable.