By Matt Rochinski, hornets.com
2014-15 Season in Review | Marvin Williams
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Tipping Off
Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced on July 21, 2004 that the team had signed free agent forward Marvin Williams.
“We’re excited to add a player of Marvin’s caliber to our team,” Cho said. “He will be a key piece of our frontcourt rotation with his versatility and ability to play both forward positions.”
The 6-9 Williams was the second overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft after one season at the University of North Carolina. In nine NBA seasons, he played in 626 total games for the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz, with career averages of 10.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 29.1 minutes.
Staying Consistent
After averaging 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists for the Jazz in 66 games for the Jazz in 2013-14, Williams was brought in as a four who could help stretch the defense outside of the 3-point arc and create spacing for a key player like Al Jefferson to work inside. Williams got off to a great start, finishing with 19 points in the season-opening win over Miami, but became more of a model of consistency for the Hornets in 2014-15 as the season progressed. While Williams was not known for many explosive offensive nights – he had five games of 14 points or more – you usually knew what he’d bring to the court each contest. Williams scored between 7-13 points in 42 games in 2014-15, leading to averages of 7.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
“You can see it with Marvin Williams. When Marvin’s on the floor, there’s room for everybody else to play. In the NBA… you’re shooting is your spacing, and spacing is the basic tenant of offense,” said Head Coach Steve Clifford. “He brings a lot to the culture and brings a dimension of productivity and consistency to every phase of the game.”
Role Model
Not only was Williams brought in to stretch opposing defenses this season, but he was looked to for veteran leadership on the court and inside the locker room. When Williams signed, with the exception of Al Jefferson’s 10 years in the league, no other Hornet had been in the NBA for more than five years (Gerald Henderson), with an average of just 2.4 years in the league for the 11 other players on the roster.
“He comes in early and stays late. He’s a real pro. He’s been around what it takes to be successful in this league and has to continue to do that,” said Associate Head Coach Patrick Ewing. “We’re a very young team and a lot of the young guys looked to and learned from him.”
Added Gerald Henderson, “I think more than anything, being the guy that he is -always in here getting extra shots - makes him a great example for the younger guys. He’s a great guy to have with us.”
I'm Coming Home
As a former UNC Tar Heel selected No. 2 overall by Atlanta in 2005, Williams never lost sight of the chance he’d been give by Charlotte – to return home, just as the Hornets name did, after so many years away.
“It’s great to be back in North Carolina. It’s great to be playing for this organization and playing with some of my old teammates with a great coaching staff,” said Williams. “10 years ago I didn’t even know if I’d be in this position 10 years later, so I’m just thankful for that in itself. But making a return home is really exciting. I started my career here in North Carolina and it’s really good to be here in the last part of it.”
2015-16 Outlook
Williams enters the offseason hoping to build off the individual momentum he seemed to build in Coach Clifford’s system as the regular season came to a close. Williams entered March averaging 6.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists through 52 games but posted averages of 8.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in the final 26 games.
“I feel like I finished a lot stronger than I started,” he said. “Obviously with change, sometimes it takes a little while to get acclimated, but that’s an experience I had before in my career so it wasn’t terrible for me. I enjoyed playing here. I love Coach Cliff and love his system. Obviously, I love my teammates and its good to be back in Charlotte as well. I’m really looking forward to next season.”