Louis Williams versus Monta Ellis: Learning Curve Comparison
Since 2005 many have debated who is going to be a better pro long term Monta Ellis or Louis Williams? I took most of today to analyze their current situations. As high school seniors they tried to start a trend of undersized high school scoring guards entering the draft. I must preface the debate by saying that both guys are on their way to All-Star status. Deron Williams and Chris Paul were THE GUARDS in the 2005 draft. As the year moves on and both players get closer to big paydays, I ask the question, who is the better investment?
Three years ago I attended one of the single most impressive performances ever scene in a high school game. Driving two hours from Jackson, Mississippi to Greenwood, Mississippi, I watched Lanier High School play Greenwood High School. Braving the two lane roads in a torrential downpour and losing the Lanier bus multiple times, I arrived along with George David of the Detroit Pistons and saw Monta Ellis score 70+. Very few high school superstars ever achieve this statistic. The amazing part is he only scored 6 points in first quarter. He hit three from every spot on the floor, intercepted any pass that was within 5 feet as he played on the top of the ¾ court diamond press dunking it with authority, slicing the press into floaters and shooting 20 + free throws.
Monta Ellis has had tremendous success as a Golden State Warrior. Proving over and over why people should have looked past his minor knee problems during the draft and saw the raw speed and talent. He is the “fire and ice” player that individual skill coaches like myself love to watch play in games. The fire is the pure speed with the ball and the quickness and explosiveness. The ice is the touch on his finishes, the runners, the fade away, and the ability to stop on a dime and gracefully rise into his shot. I personally have created drills off of things I have watched Monta create throughout the course of attacking
I got to spend some time with Monta as he traveled between Mississippi and Bradenton for his pre-draft preparation in 2005. He is the “gamer of all gamers” and a very visual/imaginative type of player. Put him in a gym and drill him and he will fidget with his follow through and flip some floaters up but rarely exert him to the fullest threshold. One on one and pickup you see another side rearing a competitive aggression that Chuck Lidell would aspire to have.
Louis Williams was more a mystery to me. Everyone knew about the vertical springs of over 42 inches and the fact that "he is an undersized combo". I have always said, "When you can score you can score" but this kid was in the deep south without the media darling of New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles (Good thinking Renardo Sidney get there early). His potential talent and agent leverage got him to Philadelphia where for the last two years he has been under the tutelage of Maurice Cheeks.
I think it is difficult for a college player to get feedback from a former player and make immediate adjustment. It is hard to break what you have been doing for 3-4 years everyday and adjust to the college game. For Louis Williams I think that having Maurice Cheeks for ages 19-21 has been great for his development. He has had very few views on how to play which means he is following one system of development. They are following the system and it is working.
I saw him play three summer league games in Vegas this summer and the only other guard that even came close in being able to play, lead and score was Rodney Stuckey. They not only dominated the games by scoring using ball screens and moving the ball at the right times but disrupted everything the offense was trying to do by suffocating their man and leaving a the exact right times to create deflections and steals.
Being at third year player, Williams stats have steadily improved each year. After having to guard Allen Iverson throughout a year of practice can teach a player a thing or two. Imagine how technically sound you have to be to not have Allen Iverson take the ball from you every time. That year and a half was brutal for Williams’ confidence but a valuable learning lesson. Andre Miller and Willie Green are technically sound guards that know how to play in the half court and combines with Cheeks feedback Williams has obviously been a sponge. The most impressive statistic is his vastly improved 3 point percentage. To me this is a sing of individual preparation and many hours spend changing and honing his mechanics at game speed.
On the other hand, Monta and the Warriors practice on a daily basis trying to get shots off with 15 plus left on the shot clock. Monta’s best matchup is the bruising Baron Davis. The Warriors rarely play in the half court and Don Nelson, as empowering as he is, did not play the guard position in the light that Maurice Cheeks did.
In evaluating the situations, I think that Louis Williams may have been held back which is a good think for his future. He may not get the level of money that he feels he deserves but will thrive in whatever environment he ends in.
Ellis on the other hand was blessed with being in a system that plays to his strengths. As he nears decision-making time, he will need to continue to play in an up tempo system to become a max type of player. He will be a starter and a scorer no matter what but when compared to Louis Williams’ development pattern his experience and faster push into the limelight could slow him in another city.
