The start to Williams' sophomore season has been painful.
Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images

By John Schuhmann

You could call them question marks. Or maybe X-factors. Call them whatever you want. These guys have something to prove this season. NBA.com gives you 10 players (in alphabetical order) who will be under the microscope in 2006-07. For various reasons, all eyes are on them.

We wrap up our feature with Marvin Williams.

On the Spot Index

When he was drafted at No. 2 last year, we knew Marvin Williams was more potential than immediate impact, but when Chris Paul ran away with the Rookie of the Year award, many looked back at the draft and wondered what the Hawks were thinking. Williams improved every week as the season went on, showed signs this summer of breakout potential and earned a starting job in training camp.

Then came the news last week that Williams broke his hand and will miss six to eight weeks of action. When he returns, he will be under a bit of a microscope to see if he can show us the same things he did in summer league. Hawks fans will not be too patient if Paul is traveling to Las Vegas for the Sunday game in February. We don't think this is a Sam Bowie-Michael Jordan situation, but we'll be watching Marvin very closely.

"Marvin Williams learned in an instant Thursday how quickly plans can change in the NBA.

"One swipe of the ball, and months of training and hard work can be wiped out with the snap of a finger.

"And in the case of the Hawks' second-year small forward, it was the cracking of a finger. The third metacarpal on his left, non-shooting, hand was broken during a contact drill at the start of practice."
-- Sekou Smith, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Intent on making a better showing this season, the 20-year-old focused on weight training, changing his diet and developing his post moves during the offseason. He got positive results in summer league play, earning MVP of the Rocky Mountain Revue. He was the leading scorer in the six-team tournament, which included entries from Philadelphia, San Antonio, Dallas, Utah and Seattle, averaging 23.2 points. He also shot 54.9%...

"The Hawks remain convinced they didn't make a mistake picking Williams. They point to his size and versatility. They like the fact that, at 6-9, Williams is a good midrange shooter, can post up, is good in isolation plays and is a strong rebounder."
-- Roscoe Nance, USA Today

"Atlanta will have a few days to work things out in practice, but this is certainly one of the worst things that could happen to this young team, minus losing one of the big two (Joe Johnson or Josh Smith).

"Players will have to step up while Williams is out, and this may ruin his entire season. He will still be able to stay conditioned and participate in aerobic drills, but his shot and ball handling will certainly suffer. "
-- Impending Firestorm