For Derrick Williams, failing to live up to the hype early in his career has given plenty of doubters hope.
Williams, a former Arizona standout and the No. 2 overall pick in 2011, received high expectations and plenty of support heading into his rookie season with Timberwolves. The sky was truly the limit for Williams, a 20-year old 6’8″ slashing forward at the time. Considered one of the most valuable prospects of the 2011 draft class, Minnesota selected Williams, letting players such as Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson go to other teams, without any hesitation.
Williams was never able to truly settle in. He spent just two full seasons with the Wolves before the team decided to ship him away, dealing him to the Sacramento Kings.
Two years later, Williams enters 2015 free agency and signs a contract with the New York Knicks. The stint would last for one season, with Williams once again entering free agency this past summer with an unknown future, carrying a resume showing a lack of consistency and never owning a long-term deal with a team.
“I’ve had five coaches in two seasons alone”, Williams said (via Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel). “So it’s hard to be consistent when I’ve never really had a consistent head coach.”
In comes the Miami Heat, a franchise known for its stability, and a franchise known for having a long-tenured head coach in place.
The thought of joining the Heat intensely appealed to Derrick Williams, now 25 years old.
“I felt I wanted to go to an organization that was a lot more stable,” Williams told Winderman. “And I felt like the Heat was a perfect opportunity not only for myself, but the things that I do well.”
Miami was aggressive in pursuing free agents after the first week of free agency, with them inking Williams to a deal just days after the detrimental departures of Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, and Joe Johnson. They were seeking insurance at the wing positions, something that also highly appealed to Williams.
“I felt like the Heat was a perfect opportunity for things that I do well,” Williams said. “And with Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng, with their absence, I felt like that was the best spot for me to go, with the way the way that I’ve played.”
Williams was behind teammates such as Michael Beasley and Kevin Love in Minnesota during his first two years in the league. Another reason why he chose to head to South Beach? The Heat’s well-known position-less style of Basketball we’ve seen in years past, along with the aspiration of living up to the hype once given back in 2011.
“That’s the reason why I came here,” Williams said. “With Spoelstra, Pat Riley, they have a history of developing players and people like myself that haven’t found that right opportunity yet, looking at players like myself that can thrive in the position-less basketball.”
Williams’ shooting percentages have gradually increased since being drafted in 2011, something that gives faith to those hoping to see a bounce-back stint happen.
He averaged 9.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and shot a career-high 45% from the field in 80 games with the Knicks last season.
