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After his developmentally and statistically successful rookie
reason, Michael Carter-Williams took a solid step toward adding his name to that
of the elite, but he needs to continue to improve and expand if he wants to consistently
compete, and succeed against, the league’s deep roster of talented point
guards.
Generally, Carter-Williams needs to get stronger. The
addition of strength isn’t a specific skill, but it will aid in his improvement
in all areas. He doesn’t need to get jacked up anything crazy, just enough to
help him absorb extra contact and exploit smaller defenders.
Outside of simply adding some size, here are a few other
areas where Carter-Williams should concentrate on improving in order to
continue his development and maximize his potential:
Add a steady pull-up
jumper: His shot is an obvious area of improvement for Carter-Williams, and
specifically, he should work to perfect his pull-up. Carter-Williams has the
ball in his hands quite a bit throughout the course of a game, and if defenses
have to be constantly aware of his ability to pull-up on a dime, it will open
up the rest of the floor for the likely Rookie of the Year.
Carter-Williams looked hesitant to shoot at times this
season, and defenders would often play off of him, respecting his ability to
drive and dish, but not showing the same respect for his shot. If defenders
have to respect his shot, they will stick closer to him, affording him increased
opportunity to beat them off of the dribble and break down the defense. The
development of a pull-up jumper will be especially prudent in the
pick-and-roll, where defenders have been going under screens for
Carter-Williams, making it more difficult to make plays. If Carter-Williams
improves upon his pull-up, defenders will be forced to go over those screens,
in turn opening up a plethora of possibilities on the offensive end.
Carter-Williams was able to be extremely productive
offensively without the aid of a consistent pull-up jump shot. The addition of
one will greatly expand his game and what he is able to do on the offensive
end.
Develop a post-up
game: As a pure point, Michael Carter-Williams has the size that coaches
dream about and drool over. His lanky, 6’6’’ frame gives him a size advantage
over most of his peers at the position, and he needs to expand the way he
exploits that advantage. He would be an immediate mismatch for most points in
the post, and his vision would make him especially effective from a posted
position.
With his back to the basket on the block, it would be
extremely difficult to stop Carter-Williams if he developed a post-up game. He
would be able to get his shot off over any points on him in the post, and a
switch to a taller defender would likely causes mismatches elsewhere. If
double-teamed in the post, Carter-Williams has the size, and vision, to pass
out of it. He would be adept at hitting cutters and spotting shooters from the
post as well.
A turnaround and a baby-hook would be excellent additions to
his arsenal, and would help to make him exceedingly difficult to defend.
Improve his off-ball
game, specifically catch-and-shoot: Carter-Williams
spends a lot of time with the ball in his hands, but certain situations will
call for his ability to play off the ball, and his ability to knock down shots
in these situations will vastly improve his value.
Brett Brown likes to play the game at breakneck speed,
pushing the pace at every opportunity. In order to do this at full
effectiveness, all of the players, or at least most of them, have to be able to
push the ball up court. When a rebound is secured, the time can’t always be
taken to located the point guard and get him the ball to bring it up. Instead,
the ball is passed forward to the frontcourt in as quick a manner as possible –something
that Chris Paul and the Clippers have been doing this season. Forwards, and
even centers can then initiate an offense while the defense is recovering, and
potentially give the team an offensive advantage. Often in these situations,
the point guard will come off screens looking to catch-and-shoot, or to drive
and dish.
If Carter-Williams can become an off-ball option; a player
that can move without the ball, come off screens and knock down shots, it will
open up what the Sixers can do offensively, especially on the break.
We don’t know who the Sixers will select in June’s draft,
but if they were to acquire a player like Dante Exum, or Marcus Smart, it would
only be beneficial if both the pick and Carter-Williams were each able to play
on and off-ball. The options offensively would be almost unlimited.
Michael Carter-Williams had a very solid, and statistically
successful rookie season, and he figures to be a big part of the franchise’s
future. But, in order to continue to
contribute to the Sixers’ resurrection, and to develop into as good as a player
as he appears he could become, his expansion is essential.
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