Gordon Hayward: Mark Williams' feel for the game reminds him of Rudy Gobert

What have you seen from LaMelo Ball’s development in his game that’s allowed him to play arguably at an All-NBA level this year? Gordon Hayward: The way he was hitting his threes really opened up his game because it makes teams have to respect it. Now he can drive and get in the lane where he can make plays and finish around the rim. His efficiency from three has opened up his whole game. -via HoopsHype / December 4, 2023

Gordon Hayward on Hornets: ’We’ve had a lot of talent the whole time I’ve been here. We just haven’t been able to put it together’ Is this the most talented Hornets team you’ve been a part of in Charlotte? Gordon Hayward: Yeah, certainly in Charlotte. This is my fourth year. We’ve had a lot of talent the whole time I’ve been here. We just haven’t been able to put it together. We’ve also had injuries to key guys, which is hard to deal with, but certainly, we have a lot of guys that can score and a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things. We’re definitely talented. -via HoopsHype / December 4, 2023

Brandon Miller’s been compared to Paul George a lot. What do you see in his game? Gordon Hayward: I think the thing that impressed me the most about him was his poise in the pocket, especially with the ball in his hands, not only making plays for himself but being able to see over the defense. In practice, he makes passes across the court. That’s stuff that usually takes time to develop. A lot of guys can play with the ball and score. That’s how they get to the NBA, but that’s what has impressed me about him. He should be All-NBA if he wants to be because of his length, size, quickness, and instincts. He obviously has a bright future. -via HoopsHype / December 4, 2023

Christopher Hine: Mike Conley on Rudy’s big night offensively: “His gravity allowed for us to do a lot of those things late in the game, the spacing that we had.” Key element of the Wolves’ late-game execution was how well Rudy played all night. -via Twitter @ChristopherHine / December 2, 2023

Christopher Hine: Rudy Gobert on playing with Karl and Naz in the fourth: “People call these guys bigs. They’re not bigs, they’re just tall. They don’t play like bigs.” (Pauses as he sees Kat is listening in) “Kat does a little bit sometimes, when he decides to bully a little bit.” (Kat growls) -via Twitter @ChristopherHine / December 2, 2023

Dane Moore: KAT just found Gobert on the lob while running a traditional high quad pick and roll, only this is a traditional pick and roll with two centers — something we’ve started seeing more and more of as the season has gone along. Here’s Chris Finch went asked about that action after the last game… “With KAT’s skill, we can treat him like a guard, and then Rudy’s rolling, gravity can sometimes catch other bigs who are not sure what to do with that coverage… Most of that stuff kind of happens randomly. They’re always up there around the top of the floor together in a lot of the things we do. We saw that a bit last year. And KAT’s done a much better job of making smarter plays in those situations… But he’s always been a good Rudy partner when he keeps it simple and lets the play develop with good patience.” -via Twitter @DaneMooreNBA / December 2, 2023

Ahead of Charlotte’s Wednesday night game against the Washington Wizards – a 117-114 win for the Hornets in which Williams was responsible for 11 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks (he was a plus-six on the evening) –  the 7-footer already sat inside the Top 10 league-wide in both PER and WS/48. But even in the advanced metrics that don’t overly value low-risk, high-efficiency big men that don’t provide much in the way of self-creation or playmaking, such as BPM or VORP, Williams still rated quite highly, sitting 35th in the former and 43rd in the latter. -via HoopsHype / November 23, 2023

He shoots just 68.5 percent from the foul stripe, doesn’t boast much of a jumper (he has yet to attempt a three in the NBA) and his pick-and-roll finishing is just above average (he ranks in the league’s 63rd percentile at 1.21 points per possession in the playtype). However, Hornets head coach Steve Clifford seems certain Williams will develop a three-ball at some point, as hetold our own Michael Scotto: “Then the big key for him offensively is running the floor, screening, rolling, and eventually, he’ll be a three-point shooter. I don’t have any questions about that. I don’t know if it’ll be here early in the year. This is where the thumb injury set him back a little bit. But he’s a lot more instinctive offensively than I realized when we first got him.” -via HoopsHype / November 23, 2023

The Hornets declined to pick up the fourth-year, $6 million option on James Bouknight’s rookie contract and exercised Mark Williams’ third-year option in time for Tuesday’s NBA-mandated deadline, league sources told The Observer. -via Charlotte Observer / October 31, 2023