RookieChronicles.com will be reaching out to various bloggers from each rookie’s new teams throughout the year. Here’s what some of the Nets bloggers had to say after their team selected Terrence Williams:
Net Income from Nets Daily
Life can sometimes be unfair for Terrence Williams.
Fans in New Jersey are expecting him to “replace” Vince Carter. That’s unfair.
He has said he modeled his game after Magic Johnson, raising unfair expectations.
And when a local sports radio host asked Nets President Rod Thorn if T-Will was Pippen-esque, Thorn didn’t respond directly. It would have been unfair.
With VC headed in one direction and T-Will headed in the other on Draft Day, comparisons were easy, but, well, unfair. But based on his comments since being selected—and a LOT of YouTube viewing, Nets fans have already taken a liking to Twill’s game and personality. What they like is his versatility at both ends of the floor. Not only can he play three positions on offense. His strength, athleticism and skills will permit him to take on a number of different challenges at the other end, where the Nets were woeful last year. His quirky, confident personality has already helped fans get through the trauma of this week’s moves. After all, what can you say about a kid who in a Green Room conversation asked Ricky Rubio, “Why are you nervous? You’ve been making money since you were 11.”
It’s fair to say that in Jersey, we like that.
Sebastian from Nets Are Scorching
When David Stern came up and announced that Terrence Williams was the Nets’ selection at 11, it brought a smile to my (and I am assuming all Nets’ fans) face(s) the first time all day. I am going to admit that I didn’t hop onto the “draft Terrence Williams” train until late in the game (a couple days before his workout here in NJ), but once I did a little bit of research (and an interview), and saw what he was all about, I was pulling for him to get drafted.
So why was I so pumped? Well, Terrence is a seasoned guy (stayed in school all 4 years) who played under a great coach in a fast-paced system (this is going to be key. I mean look at our roster this year, we are going to be running and gunning for the most part – or at least I hope we do), and he is crazy athletic. He combines that athletic ability with a body that allows him to effectivly play 3 positions in the pros. This, along with the trade of Vince Carter, means that Williams should get a good amount of playing time for a rookie, which will lead to Williams hopefully developing faster than the normal rookie. We can look at newest Net Courtney Lee for an example of this. Last year with Orlando, Lee got a lot of time during the season, and just look how he played in the playoffs.
What impresses me most about Williams is his mentality both on and off the court. On the court, Terrence Williams is willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win. Back when I interviewed him (I am going to milk the hell out of this) when I asked who he molds his game after, his answer shows what he is all about:
- NetsRScorching@TheRealTWill Is there a NBA player that you mold your game after?about 10 hours ago from web in reply to TheRealTWill
- TheRealTWill@NetsRScorching as far a game wise I try to e like lebron passing wise, rebounding N team first concept that’s my whole motto
So he wants to be the guy who does everything on the court. He wants to create for everyone else, rebound, and play defense. Just let the scoring come. As a rookie, that is the right mentality to take. Especially with this team. We got Brook, Devin Harris and Courtney Lee to do most of our scoring. Off the court, he has the swagger and the confidence you like to see in a player. He also has shown a willingness to get in the gym and work on the things he needs to improve.
With all this being said, he does need to work on some things. The most important and most noticible being his shot. He did shoot well, well in his workout with us, but I would call that more of a good shooting night than what you would expect to see from him normally. I am not worried though, because I know that Gary Payton won’t let him not work on his shooting.
All told, I am extremly happy with the pick (In case you couldn’t tell). With the 11th pick in a supposedly weak draft you shouldn’t be able to get a player that will be able to help you team immedeatly, but that is what we got with Terrence Williams.
