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The Most Important Addition To Michael Carter Williams' Game

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#1 ·
Say what you will about Michael Carter-Williams rookie season: that he was overachieving, or a stat chaser, or a point guard who had already reached the peak of his value and should be moved. Spin it any way, it's hard to say he didn't exceed expectations, especially when you factor in the fact he was the 11th pick in a poor draft class and proceeded to play the last 3+ months of the season with a torn labrum in his shoulder.

That's not to say he's without flaws, some of which are glaring. His jumper is inconsistent (although his form is solid), he turns the ball over a lot, and his pick and roll defense leaves much to be desired. And while those problems will continue to limit his efficiency if not improved upon, the biggest addition Carter-Williams must make to his game in his sophomore season is adding a floater.

The floater has been a staple of most point guards games, typically because they're undersized in relativity to their defenders. If you're 6'1 driving to the basket and a 6'10 defender steps in front, you're at a disadvantage. That's why smaller ball handlers like Tony Parker and Chris Paul have essentially perfected the running/teardrop floater, to be able to still attack the lane but be able to lay the ball over the reach of larger defenders.

Michael Carter-Williams is 6' 6" with an 8' 5" standing reach, so scoring around the rim shouldn't be as hard for him as it is for guys of Parker and Paul's size. The shot charts say otherwise.

Here's MCW's shot chart (courtesy of the good people at Nylon Calculus):

CHART IN LINK

There's a ton of blue everywhere -- enough to say he blue himself -- most notably around the rim, the place where Carter-Williams is deemed most effective. The chart shows he's basically mediocre there. Drives to the basket are the most crucial part of his game, averaging nearly six points a game in those situations. However, there's a reason he's only shooting 37.8% when he attacks. His issues typically seem to deal with his stem from his inability to utilize his length well. He's got a strong tendency to jump straight up into larger defenders, rather than use his range to contort around defenders.
http://www.libertyballers.com/2014/7/24/5927569/michael-carter-williams-sixers-nba
 
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