Derrick Williams has impressed his teammates during his two games with the Cleveland Cavaliers since signing a 10-day contract.
The Cleveland Cavaliers signed former the second overall pick in the 2011 draft, Derrick Williams, to a 10-day contract earlier this week after he was waived by the Miami Heat.
Williams has played for five teams–Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Cleveland Cavaliers–since entering the league in 2011. In 403 career games, the 25-year-old has averaged 9.1 points and 4.1 rebounds on 43 percent from the field.
Although he hasn’t been able to find a home in the NBA, Williams could stick around with the Cavaliers.
According to ESPN‘s Dave McMenamin, LeBron James is hopeful that Williams will be in Cleveland for the long-term.
"“We hope that this is a long-term thing,” James said of Williams after the Cavs’ 125-109 win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. “Obviously, we know that he’s on a 10-day contract, but we believe it’s going to be long-term.”"
In two games with the Cavaliers, Williams is averaging 9.5 points on 83 percent from the field. He has proven to be a versatile asset for the Cavaliers, guarding the opposition’s point guard and taking the ball up the court for the Cavaliers.
Williams may not address the need of a backup point guard that the Cavaliers have been desperate for all season, but he is an athletic defender who runs the floor well and can score from the wing. Head coach Tyronn Lue featured Williams in a line up with LeBron James, Kyle Korver, Richard Jefferson, and Channing Frye, all of whom measure 6-foot-7 or taller.
“I did like it because defensively we could switch 1-through-4 with those guys and kind of stay at home, and then we could run the floor and could play with big pace,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said, per McMenamin.
Williams took a big risk coming to Cleveland on a 10-day contract. After asking to be released from the Heat, he could have signed elsewhere for the remainder of the season. Instead, he took the risk of joining a team that is already loaded with talent on a 10-day contract.
Although it has been a small sample size, Williams could be a key contributor for the Cavs moving forward. With LeBron James in his corner, he could very well be a Cavalier for the remainder of the season.
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Do you agree with LeBron? Should the Cavaliers sign Derrick Williams for the remainder of the season? Let us know in the comments or on twitter @KJG_NBA.