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SALT LAKE CITY — At one point, many looked at Marvin Williams as a savior of the Atlanta Hawks franchise. Now he's a nine-year veteran quietly teaching the Jazz youths how to play the game the right way.
At this point he isn't the superstar that his number two draft pick would suggest. Flashes of brilliance here or there show why he was taken so high, but his play has never justified that slot and the word "bust" has been used.
His stats don't overwhelm his career, or even this season, but his personality fits Utah, and he is starting to find his groove. Williams is the workhorse of the team who shows up and gives his all, night in and night out, despite an ever-changing role, minutes and roster.
This year, Williams is the stretch-four for the starting lineup and has very little required of him. His work ethic led to coach Tyrone Corbin calling him the consummate professional.
“True professional,” Corbin said. “Been great for us all year long giving us whatever he has. He's a little banged up but he continues to come out there and help us win ball games. He's one of the key guys in the locker room. When things are going bad he continues to step up, makes sure we continue to play, and we really appreciate what he brings to us.”
Against the Raptors, the Jazz were without Derrick Favors and Jeremy Evans. Their starting primary scorers, Trey Burke and Gordon Hayward, were off. Enes Kanter was good, but nowhere near good enough, so Williams put the scoring load on his back. He ended the night scoring 23 points on 16 shots. With eight rebounds and good defense, he was a main reason the Jazz were even relatively close in that game.
Williams might be the most laid-back player in the NBA. When he came to the Jazz in a trade with the Hawks, the media asked dozens and dozens of questions about his position as a potential bust in the NBA. His constant response was along the lines of, “I don't think about it.”
Where the Hawks drafted him, what his contract says and where he will be next year are beyond his control at this point. Williams was famously drafted before Deron Williams and Chris Paul. He could have crumbled under the pressure that came with the expectations, but he remains grateful for what he has above all else.
“My parents taught me to always be thankful, always be positive and always work as hard as you can,” Williams said. “I've been successful on and off the court with just that attitude.”
The media asked about the pressure he faced as a number two pick and he would just say, “I don't put pressure on myself.” Williams doesn't really care about what people think about him. He wants to work hard and play his game, but he doesn't seem to care if he does it in a fan-pleasing way. His contributions are a little harder to see.
My parents taught me to always be thankful, always be positive and always work as hard as you can. I've been successful on and off the court with just that attitude.
–Marvin Williams
“Just competing day in and day out,” said Richard Jefferson. “He's a power forward and he's undersized against some of the guys he's guarding, but he works extremely hard against everyone and gives his all. That's something our young guys have to learn. Even if you are outmatched you have to give that type of effort.”
He's a leader in the locker room, slightly quiet, but still one of the few veterans on the team. His return to the team has coincided with the team's improved record. He's started in 29 games and the Jazz have gone 15-14 in those games, including the 94-79 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Monday. For a team that is 16-32, that is a far clip.
“A lot is said about when Trey came back and our record when Trey came back,” Jefferson said. “That's very, very true that Trey's had a tremendous impact on our team, but at the same time Marvin came back from injury. Once we started putting him in the starting lineup, you saw a change in our team. He deserves as much credit for the turn around as anyone.”
Now, that number isn't solely about the return of Williams, but it is clear that he has had a big impact on this team. He is playing almost exclusively at the power forward position, actually 95 percent of the time. His rookie year he played 71 percent at power forward, and a bit at the center spot. Since his rookie year, he has changed how he played.
His first three years he took 108 3-pointers in 223 games, less than one per game. This season he has shot 141 in the 37 games. At his current pace, he will take a career-high in 3-pointers, now 166 from last year, in about seven games, which would be the end of February. He's on pace to shoot 270 threes this season, assuming he stays healthy.
It's not just that he's shooting more, he is making more. His numbers have dipped a bit over the past few weeks, but his 37.6 percent is second-best in his career. In November and December, he was shooting more than 40 percent.
While he has been in the league for nearly a decade, he is only 27 years old. His numbers per 36 minutes are up from his career average in every statistical category except points, which he doesn't need to do as often, and field goal percentage, despite his 3-point percentage being higher.
A lot of this has been because of his attitude and drive, not for anyone else, just himself.
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“In this league you got to stay positive and you got to work hard,” Williams said. “I tell younger guys all the time, the hard part is not getting to the NBA, it's staying in the NBA. You got to develop positive habits, good habits, on and off the court. You got to take care of your body. You got to work hard in practice. You got to stay positive, man. You're going to have high points throughout the season; you're going to have low points throughout the season. As long as you continue to work hard and have a good attitude, you'll work your way out of anything.”
So far this season he's had heel surgery in the offseason, a broken nose, which he has fixed, and wore a mask for a lot of the season, and more heel injuries, which are currently ongoing. It wasn't long ago that he was grimacing noticeably after a game while he had his foot soaking in an icy tub.
Williams isn't 100 percent, but he's giving everything he has. Corbin will play with lineups, and his minutes could go up and down, but when the coaches call his number, he will be ready no matter the opponent or how his health is.
At one point, many considered Williams a budding superstar. He could have collected his check and enjoyed a very good career. However, he has adjusted his game into a blue-collar hard worker who is more about filling in the cracks than making a name for himself. He does what he is told and makes it happen.
In a word, Marvin Williams is a professional.
