I promise, unless Reggie Williams goes for 50 points in a game this weekend, hits a buzzer-beater to win a game or posts a quadruple-double, I will find someone else to feature in Monday’s edition of the Digest. Three pieces in eight days – even for a successful call-up – might be a bit much.
But in light of how well Williams has performed since getting the call to join the Warriors last week as well as rumors circulating Twitter on Thursday night that the team will sign him to a second 10-day contract, I got to thinking about whether his work will help pave the way for another opportunity for another D-Leaguer upon whom I’ve ruminated this season: Morris Almond.
Almond and Williams have spent much of this in a neck-and-neck race for the title of the D-League’s leading scorer. Among qualified players, Williams currently leads at 26.4 points per game with Almond in third at exactly a point behind him (the two sandwich Rio Grande Valley’s Mike Harris). As is the case with Almond, there has been no doubt all season that Williams’ forte is his scoring. He filled the scoresheet on a bonkers 67.6 true shooting percentage, which included knocking down 41 percent of his threes. Williams served as the focal point of the Sioux Falls Skyforce’s offense virtually from day one through the day he got the call to the big show.
In previous discussions of Almond, we have talked about how one of the obstacles he seems to have encountered in gaining a call-up this year is that NBA teams don’t call guys up from the D-League to be 30-touch-per-night players. This puts high-usage shot-creating swingmen at the D-League level in a tough spot. They are good enough to light it up in the D-League, but the concern remains that without having a particular top-tier skill outside being efficient high-volume scorers, it will be tough to earn a call-up when teams are often looking for guys to fill niches such as situational defensive stoppers or rebounders.
Williams’ call-up, however, marked a clear indication that it is possible for a player to earn the call based primarily on his ability to score the basketball. He is absolutely a serviceable player in several other facets of the game: He rebounds a bit, shares the ball well and isn’t a liability at the defensive end. But his scoring ability was likely his primary selling point. That he has played as well as he has should only open the door to more teams (or at least the Warriors, right?) taking closer looks at dynamic swing scorers in the D-League who are capable of doing a little bit of everything as well.
Now, the disclaimer: It would be a discredit to Williams’ performance both in the D-League and his short time in the NBA to act as though his call-up should automatically lead to one for Almond, and that is absolutely not what I’m saying here. Of the two, Williams not only scored more efficiently in the D-League this season in terms of his shooting percentages, but he also takes care of the basketball more effectively and seems to use his time with the ball in his hands more effectively. While Almond has an impressive ability to hit difficult shots, especially with defenders draped over him, Williams is less prone to hold onto the ball for prolonged periods in traffic, instead making a quick pass to an open man if he doesn’t see a good look for himself right away. All that and the fact that he is a better defender than Almond at this point helped him get that call to the Warriors.
With that said, Williams’ call-up still adds credence to the idea that Almond doesn’t need to completely remake his game in order to get himself another shot at the next level. He doesn’t need to reinvent himself as a stopper or some kind of combo guard. Yes, as Jon Jennings remarked to me last month, he needs to become a better defender than he is at present. As Dee Brown said when he was coaching Almond in Springfield, it would behoove Mo to make quicker passes when he sees double-teams coming. But Almond has played productive basketball since his trade to Maine eight games ago, knocking down 15 of 32 threes (46.9 percent) and picking up his rebounding and assist figures despite playing nearly six fewer minutes per game than he was in Springfield (and even if his scoring average is down four points, his efficiency is up on a more balanced team).
I’m as big a believer as ever that if Morris Almond can continue to refine the non-scoring aspects of his game, he will get his next NBA look sooner rather than later.
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Recommended reading: New blog Momma There Goes That Man says nice things about Reggie Williams and Anthony Tolliver. Long live the D-League!
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