Willie is not a lotto today

[buttermaker1]

No way Willie is a lotto right now, very good college player at times this year and average at other times this year. Unless his game picks up he will be playing for OU again next year.

 

[playmakr]

Yes he is.

 

[luckyc1423]

No way Willie is a lotto right now, very good college player at times this year and average at other times this year. Unless his game picks up he will be playing for OU again next year.

I def think he is a lotto pick....It may sound wierd but he is the best role player in college basketball....He is not going to be the top scoring threat in any offense he goes to so that will take the pressure off and he will play similiar to the way he did last year with blake

 

[DenverSooner]

Yes he is.

You would use a lottery pick on him right now? Who is he going to defend?

 

[Edmond_Sooner]

Yes he is.

yep

 

[bocabull]

I love the WW bashing. It comes from the same people who are all doom and gloom over this team due to a young team finding it's way in the pre season.

What you saw half the game last night and the first half of the Houston game is undeniable and will be eventually the norm.

Superior talent that wins ballgames. They are just a young team finding their way in some pre season games. If anything WW deserves credit for letting his teammates find their way instead of just being a ball hog. He could easily play the 2 man game like we ran the last part of last nights game all day long and rack up huge stats.

OU will be more talented than 90% of the teams we play this season and pretty soon we will win 90% of those games.

 

[pnkranger]

I don't agree with buttermaker, but I do feel he would be better served in the long run by staying for his junior year a la Dwyane Wade. I think he's a year away from being a top 3 player in college basketball and a top 5 draft pick.

I know that probably sounds like I'm just pining for him to stay. i'm really not. I want him to do what he thinks is best...but overall, I think he'll be better served by working on his long-range shot and continuing to work on his maturity as a team leader.

 

[NYC-Fool]

One game does not determine where Willie will be drafted. He is a lottery pick on talent alone.

 

[Seymore Cox]

Willie is a Lotto pick the last five minutes of a game. He's Terrell Everett the first 15.

 

[Bk2X]

I know one thing bout WW, he needs to chill on the showboat dribbling because every game he has got stole on by inferior defenders.

 

[SoonerBackInOKC]

It's questionable, but not due to his talent. He's a "tweener" in the league and someone's going to have to think he can turn into a true point or be willing to go with a small backcourt if you play him at the 2.

 

[SoonerfanTU]

I def think he is a lotto pick....It may sound wierd but he is the best role player in college basketball....He is not going to be the top scoring threat in any offense he goes to so that will take the pressure off and he will play similiar to the way he did last year with blake

No NBA GM is going to draft WW as a role player. Calling him a role player is simply trying to talk up his weaknesses right now.

Too soon to tell what WW "should" do. I'll let the season play out.

 

[thebigabd]

Willie's biggest issue is being a 6'2'' shooting guard. The second issue is that he is not dominating (right now) like everyone thought he would. The third issue is that if you are going to be a 6'2'' shooting guard in the NBA you need to be a very good shooter and he is shooting 6-27 (22%) from the 3pt line.

 

[Cheno]

He's lotto. He'll be fine. He's finding his way as well.

 

[sheepdogs]

I find it humorous when people state someone is not performing the way they need to be and all of a sudden it must be bashing. Why? When you go into an eating establishment, we call those restaurants, how many entrees do you eat? One perhaps. Does this mean you are bashing all the rest? The proof is in the pudding and right now Willie's pudding is still in the mix cycle. Last night was a perfect example, for Willie took one shot from more than five feet. The question is, is Willie a center, is he a power foward, is he a small foward. The answer is a resounding no for he is a guard and guards are "required" to score away from the basket, especially in the NBA. Some college critiques had him as player of the year. Now there are over 200 division one teams with at least 10 players per team and to think that he is the best of the bunch, in excess of 2000 players, is absurd to put it mildly. For those that want to believe he is a lottery pick so be it, but what skills does he bring to the pro level that isn't already there? What team has guards who don't shoot the ball from the outside with ease and with defenders in their face?

 

[campbest]

Until Willie changes his shot, he will always be a streaky shooter from deep and continue to have trouble getting his shot up off the bounce...unless he is planning on shooting floaters the rest of his life.

 

[Sooner23]

NBADraft.net has Willie going 13th right now. Not sure how accurate they are/have been though.

http://www.nbadraft.net/

 

[bocabull]

WW is 4th in the conference in scoring and 2nd in assists ... and he hasn't even hit his groove.

TMG is starting to break people down. It's just a matter of time before WW blows up.

 

[SilliSooner]

Willie has great vision, which will serve him well as a point guard. He has to be a point, which may be a reason for more seasoning.

I'm going back to the days when I used to go to many OU games (1989-91) with an NBA scout. Here's what I'd like to see from Willie:

1) Finish his shot on the drive. At least get the ball over the rim. The driver who can collect three-point plays (the And-ones) like Steve Nash or Allen Iverson is the difference between lotto and late-first round.

2) Finish the left side of the lane with his left-hand. Preferably, dunk it with his left. Willie hasn't shown me that and it's not such a big deal in college against weak teams but in the pros where you play each team 3 or 4 times a year, it's huge. It's huge because they game plan your tendencies and Willie will be forced to drive left for his whole pro career unless he proves he is dangerous coming off the left side.

3) Master the pick and roll. The pro game is all 2 and 3 man ball. Willie has a great crossover but he has to show he can use picks to either drive the lane or help the post finish. That's why I want to see how he does when we use a duo post line-up with preferably two posts with great hands (like Tiny and Drew). Being able to set these guys up consistantly will up Willie's stock.

4) Defend well. By that I mean defend well enough that his opponent has to work hard to get off a shot. Secondly, don't be someone who bites on pump fakes. If he shows that tendency, no matter how promising he is on offense, teams will grade him down.

Willie may have all this by the end of the year. Right now I'm not seeing him comfortable coming in from the left side. TMG looks two years ahead of him in that regard.

 

[SoonerinNC]

Willie tries to do too much at times. But when he plays within himself he is unstoppable. He may need another year to reach lottery pick status.

For whatever reason he is not hitting his outside shots and he needs a mid range jumper. Now everyone is jamming the space around the basket because they know Willie is trying to go all the way on every move. They can't do that if they have to stop the 10-15 foot jumper.

It is early and too early to reach such a profound conclusion. You should revisit it in January-February.