Atlanta Hawks: Williams the go-to guy down the stretch
Vivlamore back from Oklahoma and reporting from Hawks practice.
Right now, the fourth quarter belongs to Lou Williams.
That could change. Hawks coach Larry Drew insists playing time down the stretch of games, particularly among the depth of guards, will be determined by who has the hot hand that night.
Guard Lou Williams signed with the Hawks as a free agent in July after seven seasons with the 76ers. CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM
Williams has been the team’s go-to guy late in the first two games for the Hawks (1-1). He has played every fourth-quarter minute and scored 27 of his 41 points (66 percent) in the final stanzas. In those two periods he is a combined 7-for-17 from the field and 11-for-11 from the free-throw line.
“I just want to be in the rotation,” Williams said. “That’s my main thing. As long as I’m on the court, I just try to maximize the minutes I get and make everything happen that I can.”
He may not start, but Williams has certainly been on the court when it mattered most.
Williams scored a team-high 22 points in the season opening loss the Rockets, with 13 points coming in the final quarter. His 22 points were the second-highest total for a player coming off the bench in his Hawks debut since the team moved to Atlanta in 1968, trailing only Tom Van Arsdale’s 23-point effort versus Portland in 1974.
In Sunday’s victory over the Thunder, Williams scored 19 points, scoring 14 of the Hawks’ final 23 points.
“We decided to ride Lou’s hot hand,” Drew said following Sunday’s game. “He made some really good baskets.”
In the win over the Thunder, Drew said he considered re-inserting starters Jeff Teague, who finished with 16 points, and Kyle Korver back in the game. Williams’ hot hand made Drew reconsider.
“From a coaching standpoint, you are going to ride the hot hand,” Drew said. “I don’t care who it is. In a situation where somebody is playing well, somebody is in a rhythm, somebody is having a good quarter you ride that. I don’t think there is any coach who would not do that. The last thing you want to do is disrupt flow.”
Williams, the runner-up for the NBA’s Sixth Man award last season, leads the Hawks is many statistical categories. He is first in scoring average (20.5), points (41), field goals attempted (31), free throws made (14), free throws attempted (16) and steals (five, tied with Teague). He is second in assists (nine). Despite coming off the bench, Williams is third in minutes played (58), behind Al Horford (71) and DeShawn Stevenson (63) and in field goals made (12).
“That is fine,” Teague said of Williams’ playing time late. “We are all here to win. Whatever we have to do to get a win, we are all with that. Lou had is going (Sunday) and we were all rooting for him. We were all excited to get a win. There are going to be nights like that. I might have it going. Lou. Devin (Harris). It doesn’t matter. We all want to win. We are all Hawks. It doesn’t matter who is playing.”
Practice report
*Josh Smith, who missed Sunday’s game with a sprained right ankle, did not practice Monday but worked on the side with the team’s training staff. Drew said Smith did some shooting. Drew did not know whether Smith could return for Wednesday’s home game against the Pacers, calling the forward day-to-day.
* Backup center Johan Petro (back) also did not practice.
* Drew said he did not feel that Korver, who is 1-for-8 from the field in his first two games, is pressing. “I just think he is trying to find his rhythm,” Drew said. “We are only two games into the season. … One thing about shooters, they know they can have two bad games but they know they can come back and have five good games in a row.”
* Stevenson, Teague and Williams finally allowed rookie John Jenkins to compete in their post-practice 3-point shooting competition. Stevenson won the first game but Jenkins was a clear winner in the second.
- Chris Vivlamore
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207 comments Add your comment
terrell
November 5th, 2012
11:14 pm
Just watched avg Joe and the Nets blow a lead to Minnesota. lol
Man in Black
November 5th, 2012
11:16 pm
Korver stinks – he’s nothing but a bricklayer – is he related to John Konkac?
He shoots like it.
Slimjr
November 5th, 2012
11:27 pm
Looks like MV7 is keepin pace with Romo..They are having such a tough year, this week included…
Romo days are numbered, the fans are getting fed up with him and his HC..Jerry will have to comply eventually.. His paying customer will demand it…
We already know MV7 rope is much shorter, Sports reflecting society? Hmmmm
doc
November 5th, 2012
11:35 pm
no slimj, not society at all. who was qb for years in philly. philly fans are about performance period but support effort and wins, both lacking of late in eagles football. gm/owner jones in complete control of everything but his ego. cheap shot at society slimj, very and you know it.
btw did you see costas’ question to jones why he hadnt fired himself as gm. great question and a point we have agreed on before.
again, jamie dukes was saying if 7 goes from philly a team he might end up on was dallas. nate newton said he didnt want to see 7 get hurt.
doc
November 5th, 2012
11:37 pm
wow saints are letting eagles back in. moments ago the eagles were in icu. now saints are injecting them with life again. pure cpr.
keith
November 5th, 2012
11:38 pm
OKC did not respect us, therefore, they took their collective feet off the gas pedal and consequently we won the basketball game. We need to sign Fesenko to at least resemble an NBA Basketball team.
doc
November 5th, 2012
11:41 pm
vick not too smart there slimj. he is the qb and has to make the adjustment to see what is coming and know what to do. he didnt come close. it was all in front of him no disguise and nothing from the blind side.
Slimjr
November 5th, 2012
11:49 pm
okay doc: personal foul necessary roughness on Slimjr! hehehehe
Missed the Duckster making that statement! Yea MV7 has quite a bit left in the tank! But he has got to do a better job recognizing how the opponents are hiding their Blitz packages against him and the offense..Looks like the Philly coaching staff are just over matched tonight…Cant believe they beat the Giants this year?
Slimjr
November 5th, 2012
11:49 pm
insert[unnecessary]
Slimjr
November 5th, 2012
11:51 pm
True doc, some of those Blitzes are not being disguised at all.. Yes.
Slimjr
November 5th, 2012
11:53 pm
Meanwhile Drew can prepare a ham sandwich in the pocket? Wheres the freaking pass rush from the Eagles?
Ryan had all day too..
doc
November 5th, 2012
11:59 pm
that was ugly line play. the eagles are coming apart.
Slimjr
November 6th, 2012
12:00 am
That Eagle line is beyond pathetic, MV7 cant throw the darn ball with a helmet in his face or his back all night!
Rod from College Park
November 6th, 2012
12:01 am
Ken Strickland,
“Horford is a far more effective and efficient scorer than Josh, but he hasn’t been as aggressive when it comes to taking shots.”
Please explain the effective scorer part.
doc
November 6th, 2012
12:04 am
slimj it isnt all about the line nor all on 7 but they unfortunately arent on the same page.
Nate ArchiBALL
November 6th, 2012
12:04 am
The Marvin Williams Report – 6 points in loss against Memphis………So glad he doesn’t play for the Hawks.
doc
November 6th, 2012
12:08 am
meanwhile, 3 defenders around that eagles receiver. throwing into coverage.
i have been on record as saying not even with bynum am i expecting much from the sixers. as far as i am concerned they might be the bust of the year and end up in the lottery. so much for those two victories and time will tell on my hunch.
doc
November 6th, 2012
12:10 am
marvin is marvin in utah as well as atlanta. at least i dont have to stomach him on sports south, talking about his chef and playing games with his cousin.
i hope the saints arent as good as they are looking tonight. they were lucky to win 2 games, now they look like a super bowl offense.
doc
November 6th, 2012
12:11 am
still a 2 possession game.
Rod from College Park
November 6th, 2012
12:11 am
Marvin Williams
30 min, 6pts, 5rebounds. A star is born.
Slimjr
November 6th, 2012
12:13 am
Drew dodge a bullet from that sack!
Slimjr
November 6th, 2012
12:18 am
Saint should have 10 sacks…MV7 is pullin Houdini at times….
doc
November 6th, 2012
12:34 am
a legit problem for vick is he is too good at disappearing and his line sometimes doesnt know where he is as well as the defense.
doc
November 6th, 2012
12:41 am
would have preferred the eagles to win. saints dont need to sniff new life and bucs coming of age.
doc
November 6th, 2012
12:42 am
slimj, has woody brought his spread offense from atlanta? heh heh
Nate ArchiBALL
November 6th, 2012
12:55 am
How long will Doug Collins last in Philly. This is his third season and he has never coached more that three seasons for any one team…..it doesn’t take long for his stuff to get old.
doc
November 6th, 2012
12:59 am
nate said it earlier even before bynum trade, collins’ days might be numbered.
Grandad
November 6th, 2012
1:11 am
I do not understand the concept of:
” we must run our offense through …….” ?
Example;
Lou and Josh run the pick and roll;
must Teague touch it 1st ?
-or-
Teaguer and Al run the pick and roll;
must Josh touch it 1st ?
These are silly concepts unless a team has a transcendent player.
Someone named;
LBJames, Nash, Durant, CPaul, to name only four.
When a team, most teams are built with ordinary players,
playing within a team concept, they are structured in ordinary ways.
* A point guard who imitiates the offense.
* Two guards one of which is the lead guard.
* A Center [post player].
* And a bunch of other guys revolving around the guard / guards
plus the Center / Post.
It`s pretty much that simple.
Then your best shooter should take the most shots..
Keep it simple.
Grandad
November 6th, 2012
1:17 am
Meant to say *initiates.
However, we have had a few players around here who imitates
a point guard ……. I won`t say his name but it rhymes with Libby.
hawksordie
November 6th, 2012
2:18 am
Hawks need to play ball n hustle boards n stay n sync period if u collectively outplay your opponent tgen u win ..pretty much
Najeh Davenpoop
November 6th, 2012
2:19 am
“Well, not much really to comment on cause Im sure u knew EXACTLY what KenS was talking about when he compared the 2 together”
I know that he was, as usual, cherry picking relatively meaningless stats that supported his argument while ignoring the big picture. Hence the sarcasm. Anyone can cherry pick stats to mean whatever they want if they restrict the sample size enough.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 6th, 2012
2:22 am
“WHY HAVEN’T JOSHUA JSMOOVE SMITH BEEN CALLED AN ALLSTAR AFTER 8 YEARS IN THE LEAGUE?? And please dont say cause there are ‘better players who play his position’ nonsense cause no way and I mean NO WAY Iggy nor Deug makes it b4 him. This question is actually OPEN for anyone who could give me a reasonable answer!!”
To be honest, I am pretty sure it is because of the reason you mentioned earlier — he argues with the refs and has a bad rep among the coaches who select All Star reserves. The difference between me and you apparently, though, is that I think that is a BS reason to exclude someone from the All Star team whereas you think it is a legitimate reason. Based solely on production, he absolutely deserved to be an All Star last year. Luol Deng getting picked over him is a complete joke.
Jae Evolution
November 6th, 2012
2:23 am
Lose Clippers lose…will at least give me slight hope CP3 will consider our eventual pitch to him next off-season. Has to be frustrating for him having bigs that can only dunk. Sure quarters 1-3 are highlight city but in the 4th you have to have people that can get theres and Blake/DJ can’t not to mention they are both 50% FT shooters, yuck.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 6th, 2012
2:27 am
“If you look at the career shooting percentages of both players, you’ll see Horford is the far more efficient scorer of the 2. Horford needs far fewer shot attempts to score the same amount of pts, and has fewer turnovers as well.”
In large part because he is a supporting player. Tyson Chandler led the league in FG% and offensive efficiency last year, but suggesting that the Knicks should run the offense through him rather than Melo would be asinine. Chandler is that efficient because he isn’t a focal point of the offense. Al is a much better offensive player than Chandler, but he hasn’t shown that he can consistently create offense for himself and others. Josh doesn’t do that at the level of a true #1 option either, but he has done it better than Al to this point in their careers.
“This either or BS that some fans focus on when it comes to Josh and Horford is just that, PURE BS. We need both players if we expect to have a successful season. ”
I definitely agree with this.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 6th, 2012
2:31 am
“MV7 is getting KILLED OUT THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Saints got three guys unblocked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
FIRE THE WHOLE COACHING STAFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
More of a personnel issue than a coaching issue. They only have two really good offensive linemen even when healthy, and both are out for the season. It is true that they are way too pass-heavy when it comes to playcalling, but it starts with poor drafting. The “Dream Team” sounded great on paper thanks to the free agent acquisitions, but acquiring premier free agents away from the line of scrimmage means nothing if you can’t control the line of scrimmage.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 6th, 2012
2:32 am
BTW this blog apparently hasn’t gotten the memo about setting their clock back one hour.
vava74
November 6th, 2012
4:40 am
Ha! That is why I was posting yesterday and there were only 4 hours difference…
MsDee
November 6th, 2012
8:29 am
Thx Najeh for your responses…would like to also hear Rod from CP and vava74
vava74
November 6th, 2012
8:37 am
Rod,
You should check out the Jazz’s blog on Sports Nation for more Marvin updates…
Their analysis of why the lost the game against the Grizzlies almost does not mention Marvin, which means that Marvin is still under the radar for them!!
Only remark was that he had 3 TOs with such a low usage…
By December 1st they will have buyer’s remorse.
prison mike
November 6th, 2012
9:03 am
Lou is a head strong BB player. The difference between he and Al is he isn’t afraid of the spotlight. All for 5 million, great return in the investment.
Joe who? Lou needs to tweak his game just a tad and he’ll be even more impactful. The 4th quarter will Lou and Josh’s, mark it for the season.
NBA Rumors: Can Atlanta Hawks Survive Without Josh Smith | The Hoop Doctors
November 6th, 2012
9:30 am
[...] is currently nursing a sprained right ankle, and according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, his return is uncertain: Josh Smith, who missed Sunday’s game with a sprained right ankle, did [...]
wordsmithtom
November 6th, 2012
9:38 am
Magic Johnson suggesting Lakers swap Pau for Josh after this year. Pau, as Granddad says, is a basketball player. Anyone see him in Olympic final. US had nothing that could stop him. Horf at 4 with Pau and all those shotmakers makes me cream, just as Josh makes Magic dream. Good trade, IMHO. We now have the salary flex come summer.
Astro Joe
November 6th, 2012
9:50 am
Hawks are giving up around 35 points to SGs after 2 games. The good news is that there are not many good scorers who play SG in the NBA (he said sarcastically). Next up, a young Paul George who is looking to establish himself in Granger’s absence.
Jason S
November 6th, 2012
9:56 am
I don’t think the new CBA will allow the Lakers to accept Josh in a sign and trade due to the fact that they are way over the cap. If that trade is going to happen, it needs to happen this year. But Pau costs a lot of money … . To make salaries work, I think you will need to ship Josh + Morrow or Korver (for example).
vava74
November 6th, 2012
9:57 am
MsDee,
MAIN reason for Josh not being selected an All Star was in 2 out of the last 3 seasons a combination of two factors (maybe 3):
The Hawks already had 2 guys selected – due to the dearth of Cs Horford was an easy pick – and there is no way on Earth that a #3/#4/5# seed will have 3 All Stars.
And, Josh has a somewhat bad rep amongst Coaches and in the league offices (since he always says that he is not selected due to politics).
vava74
November 6th, 2012
9:58 am
AJ,
Why are you worried about Paul George? The guy is only 6′7” and ubber athletic.
I am sure that LD will be back to the HOU line up since Devin will be more than enough to handle him
Astro Joe
November 6th, 2012
10:10 am
Also consider that historically, Josh has been a slow starter to the season. His previous season’s second half performance is erased by playoff disappointment and coaches are left with his current season’s stats to evaluate him. And if being respectful of your own head coach is politics… then yeah, I guess politics play a role as well.
Astro Joe
November 6th, 2012
10:14 am
vava, yeah, it doesn’t take too much imagination to envision the Pacers having Hibbert on one block and George on the other block with the ultra-skilled David West being wherever ultra skilled players play. This would definitely be a good game to have Ivan break Hibbert in half and see if DeShawn can “get in the way” of George.
Astro Joe
November 6th, 2012
10:20 am
If there is a chance that Ferry would replace LD with Mike Brown, then I am going to be the biggest Dwight fan around here. Hope the Lakers roll off 75 straight wins.
MsDee
November 6th, 2012
10:37 am
Ok, thx vava74 for your view