Derrick Williams redrafts himself in 2011, picks perfect NBA team for young players / News - Basketnews.com

If Derrick Williams had a chance to redraft himself in the 2011 NBA draft, he would have joined forces with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

Credit: Getty Images Credit Getty Images

That was a quick NBA Draft for Derrick Williams. He was invited second by the NBA commissioner David Stern.

Derrick Williams

Team:Panathinaikos AthensPosition:SF, PFAge:31Height:203 cmWeight:109 kgBirth place:La Mirada, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

He put on the Minnesota Timberwolves hat and made his first steps on the NBA scene.

The rest is history.

What if Derrick Williams, not 30 NBA teams, had the privilege to choose the best destination for the start of his pro career?

The Panathinaikos Athens forward paused for a few seconds.

"I would say Miami, probably. Somewhere along these lines," responded to a hypothetical BasketNews question.

"Just because I know their development. The guys that they have. The draft picks that they get. Pat Riley, being able to be there all the time and put insight. I think this is a good organization to go to if you're a young player. Because you're going to be able to learn not only from vets but good management up top," Williams explained his choice.

"I think it all goes full circle. You have a lot of great players in the NBA. Everybody who's in the NBA is a great player. But also, I think that comes with management. That comes with coaches being able to help you try to succeed. So when you have top-notch in management, great coaching, great player development, and great teammates, I think that also helps when you're first starting," he continued.

In the 2011 NBA Draft, Miami Heat traded their 31st pick (Bojan Bogdanovic), a future second-round pick, and cash in exchange for the 28th pick to get Norris Cole.

Miami was about to start its second season with a newly formed Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

After the draft, they signed James Jones and Shane Battier as their forwards to help to bounce back from the 2011 NBA Finals loss to Dirk's Dallas Mavericks.

Points this season

48%115,2Points made:115,2Accuracy:48,2%Place in standings:8Record max:134Record min:98Best scorer:Anthony EdwardsTeamNBAStatisticsSchedule

Williams didn't have doubts if that was a good environment for a 19-year player coming so high off the draft.

"Oh man, being so young, I would just try to get rebounds, run the court, and shoot if I'm open on the corner. But this was an amazing experience to be able to play against Wade, LeBron, and Bosh.

They were just kind of forming their big three. It was like Showtime, man. You gotta think: LeBron 12 years ago, D-Wade 12 years ago, Chris Bosh 12 years ago," Williams smiled in admiration.

"It's in their primes. It's one of the highest-level basketballs that you can possibly play. They had a streak of 27 wins in a row at this time, and it's outrageous. Not only did they have like the Fear Factor, but they also had the talent and the management."

"If I were on this team, I would just sit in the corner, running transition, and do some of the smaller things to build my way up," Williams concluded.

Credit AP - Scanpix

Williams came off the bench in his rookie season with Minnesota and averaged 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds.

Wolves had a couple of other promising forwards in his position, including the 2nd pick of the 2008 NBA draft, Michael Beasley, and 4th overall pick from 2010, Wesley Johnson.

Williams started in 56 of 78 games in his second year, putting up 12.0 points and 5.5 rebounds on average.

However, he was traded to Sacramento in his third season.

"I think when I was first starting, it was a bit all over the place when I was in my first two teams in the NBA with Minnesota and Sacramento," Williams recalled his first four NBA seasons. "Just as organizations not knowing which direction they were going. A lot of high-level picks in a row. If you're constantly getting top 5 picks, most of the time, it means you're coming off not the great seasons."

"At one point when I was in Minnesota, it was myself, Darko Milicic, Michael Beasley, Wesley Johnson, Anthony Randolph, and Ricky Rubio. These are all top-five picks," Williams said. "So we're all trying to play well. We're all basically in the same position. Not in great winning organizations at the time. And we're all trying to help get to the next level and help the team win. But sometimes it can be tough when 10 of the 13 players are all in the same position of trying to get to that next level in the NBA."

Credit AP - Scanpix

Williams said he had the best treatment in Miami and Cleveland. He reached the NBA Finals with the Cavs in the 2016-17 season.

"I've been lucky enough to not only play on some organizations that aren't as successful right now, but then I've been able to be on teams like Miami, the Cavs and have elite management, elite players, and be able to teach the game the right way. I think that's when I was able to have one of my better years when I was with Cleveland of just consistency. Every single day of knowing what you're supposed to do, knowing your roles. When it's like that, the game is easy," Williams said.

16 players from outside the United States, all-time record by that time, were selected in the 2011 NBA draft.

Credit AP - Scanpix

Kyrie Irving was drafted first, ahead of Enes Kanter (3rd, Utah Jazz) and Jonas Valanciunas (5th, Toronto Raptors).

Meanwhile, future NBA stars Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, or Jimmy Butler dropped to 11th (Golden State Warriors), 15th (San Antonio Spurs), and 30th (Chicago Bulls) selections, respectively.

Many notable future EuroLeague players were also drafted in 2011.

Jan Vesely (6, Washington Wizards), Jimmer Fredette (10, Sacramento Kings), Chris Singleton (18, Washington Wizards), Donatas Motiejunas (20, Houston Rockets), Nikola Mirotic (23, Chicago Bulls), Norris Cole (28, Miami Heat), Shelvin Mack (34, Washington Wizards), Trey Thompkins (37, Los Angeles Clippers), Charles Jenkins (44, Golden State Warriors), Andrew Goudelock (46, Los Angeles Lakers), Milan Macvan (54, Cleveland Cavaliers), Adam Hanga (59, San Antonio Spurs).

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