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5 - Marcus Williams

6-3, 215 Shooting Guard
UConn Junior
Birthday
12/03/85 (38.4 yrs)
Hometown
Los Angeles, CA
High School
Oak Hill Academy
Athleticism
7
Size
9
Defense
7
Strength
8
Quickness
6
Leadership
9
Jump Shot
6
NBA Ready
8
Ball Handling
8
Potential
8
Passing
9
Intangibles
8
93 Overall:

NBA Comparison: Deron Williams

David Duane – 7/7/2005

Strengths: Williams has improved tremendously since his freshman year when he veraged 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 7.8 assists in 31 minutes/game … He has a great "feel" for the game, something he didn’t show freshman year … A tremendous passer who led the entire nation in assists per game at 8.1 … He controls the tempo of the game as well as any guard in the Big East … He displays a good right hand, finishing fairly well on drives with it, though he is naturally left-handed … His three-point shooting percentage rose over 20% last season to a respectable 40% … He’s a threat from the outside now which allows him to penetrate and dish or finish more often … When big men challenge him in the paint, he uses a crafty floater/tear drop type of shot that he has really perfected … He is practically unstoppable in the open court because his decision making is so quick and precise … Whether it is pulling up for the jumper if his man plays off him or hitting a wing player filling the lane, Williams makes the appropriate decision … He has a killer crossover that he uses to get by his man on the perimeter and is athletic, getting good lift on his jumper … Defensively he does a good job staying in front of his man and limiting drives, he averages 1.1 stl/game Williams was productive as a freshman where he average 4.3/game assists in only 14 minutes/game.

Weaknesses: One of the main things Williams needs to work on is his turnovers … Though he makes the right decision on the break, oftentimes he turns the ball over after drive in the lane while trying to feed teammates … Actually needs to be more selfish at times, especially late in games when teammates are struggling … Some of the bigger concerns with Williams is his off the court behavior. He only played in 16 games as a freshmen for failing to qualify academically and missed playing in UConn’s championship run. Also, more recently, Williams and fellow UConn guard A.J. Price allegedly stole 10 laptop computers from UConn dorm rooms. There could be serious repercussions from such allegations … Williams needs to keep his focus on basketball if he is going to continue to become the star player that he showed the potential to become last season.

Outlook: In terms of draft potential, NBA personnel always look for red flags and Williams already has two to his name. Unfortunately, that may hurt his stock in the long run and it won’t have anything to do with his ability to play basketball … Williams missed a lay-up that would have tied Notre Dame in a late season Big East battle and his confidence took a hit … He played all right through the rest of the year, but didn’t seem to have the same swagger. It will be interesting to see if he regains his confidence next season … Williams improved so much from his freshmen year and had such success as a sophomore that it seems certain he will be the class of the Big East as a junior … Look for his scoring to increase with Charlie Villaneuva out of the mix next season. Also, don’t be surprised to see his assists sky rocket with veteran wing players Denham Brown and Rashad Anderson as well as super sophomore (to be) Rudy Gay and big man Josh Boone down low…. His game will actually remind people of former Huskie Khalid El-Amin. The major difference? Williams actually has the size and potential to get drafted in the first round and make an impact on the next level.

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