Another year of seasoning would help Duke's Williams

Sporting News, The, April 16, 2001 by Mike DeCourcy

If we are to take Duke's Jason Williams at his word, then May 13 only will be Mother's Day to him. He will not think of it as the deadline to post a letter declaring to the NBA his intention to enter the June player draft.

Williams says he is not planning to leave the Blue Devils. He has been asked about turning professional so often the past two months that his denials could be printed in a book at least as thick as John Feinstein's The Last Amateurs.

There still are those who do not believe Williams.

A few of the people who generally know who will and won't file, for early draft entry suggested, before, the Final Four, Williams was competing in his final college season. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said during the Final Four he expected Williams back for another year.

Williams would not be the first player to exit college basketball soon after pledging to return. LSU's Stromile Swift insisted last March he would play the 2000-01 season with the Tigers. Instead, he played with the Vancouver Grizzlies after being chosen with the draft's No. 2 overall pick.

So we can't be sure what Williams will do. But we know what he should do, and that is return to Duke for his junior, season.

Yes, it is clear he will be among the first players chosen in the draft if he decides to go. If he were to be selected in the same slot as Swift, Williams would receive a little less than $9 million in his first three years. For many, the debate ends there.

Because Williams' career does not end there, this should not be the only consideration.

"You earn throughout your life, and therefore you should be prepared for your life," Krzyzewski says. "And if you just look at the start of the race, it being so financially lucrative, maybe the end of your race isn't as much. Somebody who takes care of the whole race, I think, has a chance to do a lot better."

Williams has an opportunity to be a truly special player. Not just a Stephen Marbury, who gets his numbers in the box score and at payday but not in the league standings. Not just a Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, whose career began to flame out after seven years and just more than 8,000 career points.

Williams' offensive ability is such that he can become a Hall of Fame player. But the NBA has provided us no evidence it can groom a player properly for consistent, championship-level performance if he arrives underprepared. Premature early entry has turned nearly an entire generation of significant talents into lost causes (JaRon Rush, Korleone Young), bench warmers (William Avery, Jon Bender), role players (Jermaine O'Neal, Al Harrington) or flawed stars (Rasheed Wallace, Kobe Bryant).

"I think sometimes people miss out on that opportunity to grow," Williams says.

Although Williams demonstrated his allure to the NBA with 30-plus points in NCAA Tournament games against UCLA and Missouri and absurdly deft finishes on drives against Maryland and Arizona in the Final Four, his education in the game is far from complete. Without wishing to catalogue Williams' defects, Krzyzewski has admitted as much.

Williams remains a poor defender, especially at the point of attack, where he will play in the NBA. If freshman Chris Duhon hadn't guarded opposing playmakers in the season's final five weeks, Duke would not be celebrating its third national title.

Krzyzewski has allowed Williams to explore the limits of his offensive creativity. That led to an average of four turnovers per game his first two seasons. Williams' decision-making must improve. He certainly can play with more maturity. That was obvious from his title-game performance, when he haphazardly played himself into foul trouble and exercised little caution thereafter. His next season at Duke could be dedicated to improving in these areas.

"Maturity occurs through experiences," Krzyzewski says. "That's what we hope to get across to our guys. If they go early, they should go early after they've learned those things."

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