Latavious Williams played in the NBA Development League for the entire season this year, but I don't think Ridiculous Upside has ever ran two separate features on the first ever prep-to-(D-League)-pro in the same week.
Until this week, that is.
The 6-foot-8 power forward who is now property of the Oklahoma City Thunder was the topic of a recent scouting report on the always - and I really do mean always - excellent NBA Playbook run by Sebastian Pruiti.
While the seven clips are excellent in their own right, they all focus on varying aspects of things Williams learned playing with the Tulsa 66ers in the D-League this season that he probably wouldn't have learned had he gone to Memphis.
The main focuses of the report break down the following aspects of Williams' game:
- his knowledge of the defensive three second violation - and how Derrick Favors didn't learn anything about that in college
- his pick and roll defense
- his ability to get open without the ball
I'm going to suggest everyone heads over to NBA Playbook to actually see how Pruiti came to the following conclusion, but having somebody that didn't cover the D-League this past season be as positive about Williams' potential is certainly encouraging when it comes to others taking this route in the future.
Williams will probably start the year in the D-League, and that is a good thing. He could benefit from a little more strength to help him with his post defense. Also, he doesn't have any post moves to speak of, and he doesn't have a go to move in the high post, and more D-League time could help him with that. However, with all of that being said, I fully expect Williams to have a productive stint in the NBA if he can get himself a call-up with the Thunder, and it is all thanks to his D-League experience last year.
D-League, hooah!
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