Between now and the June 28 NBA Draft, SUPERSONICS.COM will break down one of the top 15 prospects in the draft per day, getting audio analysis from Sonics Director of Basketball Operations Dave Pendergraft and commentary from Sonics play-by-play broadcaster David Locke and SUPERSONICS.COM's Kevin Pelton. Today, Duke forward Shelden Williams.
Pendergraft's take:
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Locke's take: NBA scouts say defense and rebounding are the two skills you can be certain will translate from college to the pros. Shelden Williams has both of them.
Williams’s natural progression over the four years at Duke is also very encouraging.
Williams also passes the Locke three-part test very well. He and Redick were the men at Duke without a lot of help. Furthermore, being the man at Duke is about as high-pressure as you can imagine. Maintaining 19 points and 11 rebounds a game in the ACC is awesome.
Williams answered the bell the second time through the conference. Whereas Redick slowed a bit, Williams had 18 points, 15 rebounds and 6 blocks v. UNC in their second match-up. Williams' season is a model to consistency. Only twice all year did he underperform.
In big games Williams was strong. In the NCAA loss to LSU he had 23 points and 13 rebounds. In the second round he had 17 points, 14 rebounds and 7 blocks. In the ACC Tournament, he wasn’t dominant but he was strong.
This are all the reasons Williams climbs the board. He is a known entity and he is ready.
The one question I have is if he came out the same year as Nick Collison, David West, and Mike Sweetney, where would he go?
Pelton's take: I'm a big Shelden Williams fan, and apparently so are NBA teams after it looked like he might be available in the late lottery early in the pre-Draft process. Williams isn't particularly tall (6-7 1/2 without shoes at the Pre-Draft measurements), but his 7-4 1/4 wingspan makes him a legitimate shot blocker. Williams isn't a great shot blocker, but he's a very good one and should be one of the better shot-blocking power forwards in the NBA.
One concern I had about Williams was that it seemed like big man played well against him. However, HoopsAnalyst.com looked at this issue and found it to be exaggerated. It's difficult to block a lot of shots and hold your own man in check, and Williams is probably no exception.
While Brandon Roy is the odds-on favorite to win Rookie of the Year, you have to like Williams' chances as well if he goes to a team that will give him 25-30 minutes a night right out of the box. He's ready to contribute tomorrow.
