Cleveland Cavaliers: Top 30 all-time greatest players
By Ben Beecken
. Hot Rod Williams. 5. player. 156. <ul> <li>9 seasons with Cavaliers (1986-95)</li> <li>Averaged 12.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game</li> </ul>. PF/C
Williams was a second-round selection by the Cavaliers in 1985 and stepped into the starting lineup immediately as a rookie.
He started 80 games in his first season, averaging 14.6 points and 7.9 rebounds on 48.5 percent shooting to go along with 2.1 blocks per game and was named to the All-Rookie First Team. After a brief dip in playing time over the next two seasons, Williams averaged a career-high 16.8 points in 1989-90 while averaging 33.9 minutes per game despite only starting 29 of the 82 contests.
Williams continued to average double-figures in scoring through the balance of his career in Cleveland, but his calling card was defense. Three separate times, Williams averaged more than two blocks per game while in a Cavs uniform, and anchored what was typically a top-tier NBA defense for a number of years.
Hot Rod finished his career with three years in Phoenix and one in Dallas before retiring after the 1999-00 season.