12/22/2009 Up Close With Marvin Williams - Basket… Partner Sites Fantasy Players Network Web NBA SCORES TEAMS PLAYERS STATS VIDEO FANTASY THE DRAFT COLLEGE HOOPSWORLD Up Close With Marvin Williams By: Joel Brigham Last Updated: 12/21/09 9:27 PM ET | 120 times read Adjust font size: NBA Salaries Select a Team It seems like only yesterday critics were questioning whether or not Marvin Williams was NBA Teams Select a Team worth the second overall pick in the draft. Now that the Hawks are playing so well, complaints about having taken Williams instead of a point guard in that fateful draft five years ago have waned considerably. He's now a legitimate starter and double-digit scorer for a serious playoff team, and he's only getting better. Now Marvin, I don't want to say that people didn't expect you guys to play well this season after the success of last year, but compared to all the publicity teams like Boston and Orlando and Cleveland have gotten, in what ways is this Hawks team still a little underrated? "We've been doing pretty well. Coming into the season those two or three teams you mentioned were supposed to be at the top of the conference, and they still are so far, but we're a pretty good team in the East, too." So what is it about this team that's allowed the first quarter of the season to go so well for you guys? "We were put together four or five years ago, and we have a lot of guys that play the same position. That's starting to pay off. Guys like Josh Smith and Al Horford have definitely gotten better, Joe Johnson is a four-time All-Star, we've got this great point guard in Mike Bibby, and a super-scorer in Jamal Crawford coming off the bench. I just think the general manager of this club has done a great job putting together a great team." For you personally, the last couple of years have seen a lot of growth in your own game. What's it been like having come from all that criticism earlier in your career—being picked second overall when guys like Chris Paul and Deron Williams were available? Has it been important for you to prove all those skeptics wrong that complained about the validity of the pick? "You know, I never really bought into the draft speculation. Teams draft what they need, and I felt like at the time the Hawks really needed a point guard. But they didn't take one, and I'll tell you it was a surprise to me, too. But I never really did buy into all that talk. I'm fully aware of what I'm capable of and how hard I work. All I can do is just keep working harder each and every summer to become the best player I can be." When Atlanta made that pick you were MORE BY JOEL BRIGHAM immediately labeled a project because you were just so young. What's it like for a 18, 19- Noah And Horford Still year-old kid adjusting to the rigors of so many Close : In the fall of 2004, games and so much travel? a crop of talented freshman basketball players walked ... "It was definitely an experience, and I even flirted with NBA Sunday: Cavs going to the NBA right after high school. But I chose Talking Trades : The to go to college. I wanted to go to school, and I think Cleveland Cavaliers are school definitely helped me. Coming into the league at looking into trades, including for... such a young age was an experience because this is Courtside: Rose Scores definitely a man's league. When you're an 18-year-old HOOPSWORLD http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp… 1/3 12/22/2009 Up Close With Marvin Williams - Basket… definitely a man's league. When you're an 18-year-old Career-High : Bulls point HOOPSWORLD boy it can be tough at times, but I made it guard Derrick Rose scored HOOPSWORLD through. It's my fifth year now and hopefully I'll be his career-high in points in an... able to spend another five years here because I signed Up Close With Marvin Williams: Marvin Williams has come a long way since his rookie year with the a contract this summer. I'm definitely pleased with the View Joel Brigham Archive Atlanta Hawks.. http://tinyurl.com/ydbuu... way my career has gone so far." about 1 hour ago HEAT: Arroyo Happy to be Home: Uncertainty and a So how much has changed for you in these last five years, both personally and lack of security have never been enough to scare Carlos Arroyo.. http://tinyurl.com/y9lua... on the court? about 1 hour ago "It's just maturity. The way I live isn't any different. I haven't gone out and bought a new NCAA Notebook: Is UT the Best?: In HOOPSWORLD's latest NCAA Notebook we take a house or anything like that. I've just matured. I've gotten older and I know what to expect look at the Longhorns convincing.. now. There's no surprises. Mentally, while I'm trying to stay young, I'm definitely a man http://tinyurl.com/yjs3t... now." 13 hours ago Courtside: Jazz Continue Road Trip: The Utah Jazz It's pretty incredible how far Williams has come since that tough rookie season, but he are in Orlando and will be looking for their third win since .. http://tinyurl.com/y8jpy... seems to have finally arrived as an NBA player. His minutes, and therefore the rest of his 13 hours ago numbers, are down slightly this season, but that's more a testament to how much Jamal NBA PM: Return Of Jameer: Jameer Nelson returns Crawford has meant to this team than it insinuates a step backwards for Marvin. He's a for Orlando tonight...Dallas protesting Erick talented young player, and with five years under his belt by age 23, there's a strong Dampier technical.. http://tinyurl.com/y8v44... possibility his best years are still ahead of him. 14 hours ago Email to a friend Print version del.icio.us Digg this Up Close With Andre Miller: HOOPSWORLD gets up close with Portland Trail Blazers point guard Andre Miller. http://tinyurl.com/yeczt... 16 hours ago Also On HOOPSWORLD Today: With the New York Knicks signing Jonathan Bender, Alex Raskin takes a look at some of the more intriguing reclamation projects and comebacks around basketball. Join the conversation Noted NBA analyst and CBA expert Larry Coon laid out his "class syllabus" for his course here Email to a friend at HOOPSWORLD U. Print version HOOPSWORLD recently got up close with Pops Mensah-Bonsu , Brandon Bass , Marco Belinelli , del.icio.us Digg this and C.J. Watson . DID YOU ENJOY THIS ARTICLE Defamed NBA Ref Tim Donaghy has a new tell-all book hitting bookstores and HOOPSWORLD's Alex Kennedy sat down with Donaghy on a wide range of topics including Avg Rating Not yet rated (total votes) how the NBA is all about entertainment . HOOPSWORLD told Life As A Rookie stories for Boston's Lester Hudson , New Orleans' RELATED NEWS Marcus Thornton , and Toronto's DeMar DeRozan . A Toast to Big Ben's Good Health Noah And Horford Still Close Queens Crossing About the Author: JOEL BRIGHAM Sponsored Links Joel Brigham is a member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association and has covered the NBA for Hawks Fan: Make $63/Hr HOOPSWORLD for three years, powering HOOPSWORLD.COM. Making $63/Hr working from home. As seen on CBS, NBC, & Fox News. http://w w w .Consumer-Weekly.com/Jobs Comments (0 posted) Post your comment Basketball Coaching Tips 53 Killer Basketball Drills. 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