Were it not for Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni, Williams might very well be out of basketball altogether. But, because D'Antoni liked the player and person that he saw as coach of the New York Knicks back in 2010, Williams got one more opportunity to forge an NBA career in Los Angeles.
"I knew that Shawne, if he gets focused, he can play," said D'Antoni, via Eric Pincus of L.A. Times.
"Sometimes he gets left out in the cold because he shouldn't have done what he did. If you know his character, you know what you can get."
While injuries have decimated the Lakers again this season—most notably to Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Steve Blake and Jordan Farmar—players like Williams are being given a golden opportunity to show what they can do at the highest professional level. And, with a supportive coach in D'Antoni, Williams is making the most of it.
Heading into Friday's contest with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Williams had started six of the 26 games he's played in, averaging five points and four rebounds in 19 minutes of action. He has shown the ability to hustle quickly down the court and spot up at the perimeter as a pure catch-and-shoot player.
He is a high-energy, athletic forward who battles for loose balls, but his main strength is an innate ability to make shots from long distance. When analysts describe shooting "in rhythm," they could easily be talking about Williams.
Williams had his best game against the Detroit Pistons on November 29, when he scored 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting in 31 minutes. Six of his seven bas...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
