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What would you say to Robert “Timelord” Williams III in a Suns uniform?
It’s the trade and free agency speculation SZN here at Bright Side. The Phoenix Suns need fixing, and we’re exploring different ways to do so. From trading Nurkic to adding LeBron James, there is plenty to discuss and speculate about.
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale and Grant Hughes delved into the weeds for all 30 teams earlier this week, deciding on an “ambitious target” for each. For Phoenix, Favale noted his ambitious target as Robert Williams III.
Now, in short word, he made sure to note the hurdles the Suns are presently faced with as a second tax apron team.
Nonetheless, seeing Robert Williams III as a target makes a ton of functional sense. The Suns sorely missed athleticism, in addition to versatility in the frontcourt last season.
While Robert Williams III would not be the behemoth type that Brook Lopez was in Milwaukee on stature for Budenholzer, nor as versatile as Al Horford was for Bud in Atlanta, Williams would provide a blend of both of those things, in addition to the vertical spacing that neither of those two provided.
Additionally, the ability to effectively and impactfully operate as a hub offensively in a modern context, to set or keep advantages, he can also effectively space the floor.
This is the connecting nature of the skill he provides — enabling teammates access both downhill and to target an opposing center on the move.
Williams was very much functional for the Celtics in keeping their five-out elements on offense. In events where he was simply left in space as so, on the catch, it was an automatic in their process to flow into these uphill dribble handoff scenarios, operating as pick-and-roll-adjacent types of quick hitters that compromised defenders.
Additionally, he has the skill to connect on backdoor passes-galore, as well as make quick decisions on the short-roll.
As noted by Favale, the inherent risk is availability for him, having only appeared in 41 games in the last two seasons. However, valuing him should far outweigh any risk by way of injury. He was a wrench and anchor, sparking the Celtics defensively in their 2022 NBA Finals appearance.
In that regular season, the Celtics had the league’s best defensive rating, at 106.2. With the “Timelord” on the floor, their rating dropped to an even more impactful 105.6, 3.31 points better than when he was off the floor, per PBPstats.
Additionally, in the playoffs, their rating with him on the floor was at 103.7, 5.95 points per 100 possessions better than when he rested. He’s elite around the basket, with a soft touch array of finishing abilities in addition to the ability to space vertically and dunk the ball.
Per Cleaning the Glass, he’s been 96th percentile in three of the last four seasons at the rim — showing great ability to finish off advantages created by others, and do so through contact. That’s combined with an and-1 percentage that’s ranked 77th percentile or better in each of the last five seasons.
The 26-year-old center finished all-defense second team, 7th in defensive player of the year, and 9th in most improved, in 2021-22.
He’s a home run on the margins in the “do your job” realm of role players who can be elite at their particular tasks, and would infuse a team with a different archetype that can execute in many of the contexts Nurkić did to keep functionality offensively, while doing other more particular things better in finishing, stamping his most value defensively — unlocking scheme and lineup versatility by way of his IQ and athleticism.
Nailing the backup center realm of things grows more important in case of emergency due to injury regarding him, but the reward of his services when needed most raises the defensive ceiling for the Suns in ways their present frontcourt simply cannot.
Williams III would be a piece that aligns with the demands in principles and usage defensively that Budenholzer will desire from his starting anchor — infusing a spark in athleticism and ability to move laterally and in transition that’s conducive to a disruptive pace of play.
What are your thoughts on Robert Williams III in a Suns uniform as an “ambitious” add? Let’s talk about it!