Sixers' Carter-Williams leading by example

IT DIDN'T take long for Michael Carter-Williams to make an impression on his coach, his teammates and the NBA last season. In fact, it took all of about 48 minutes.

In his first NBA game, the rookie out of Syracuse posted the mind-boggling line of 22 points, 12 assists, nine steals and seven rebounds in the team's 2013 season-opener against the defending NBA champion Miami Heat.

The rookie of the year talk started right after that game and came to fruition after a season in which he started all 70 games he played, totalled 16 double-doubles and two triple-doubles and averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 assists and 6.2 rebounds.

More than numbers, though, the signature moment of MCW's rookie campaign came just before the trade deadline. The writing was on the wall that general manager Sam Hinkie was going to be dumping salary, so it came as no surprise when Spencer Hawes, Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen were dealt at the trade deadline. Brett Brown knew it was coming, as was the departure of veteran Thaddeus Young, who was traded in the offseason to Minnesota. So the coach had a talk with his lead guard and told him that it was time for him to become more of a leader. Brown needed the 6-6, 185-pounder to take the youngest team in the league by the throat and lead by example as well as by words.

The usually quiet Carter-Williams embraced his new role, shouting instructions, encouragement and sometimes criticism toward his teammates. By the time the trade deadline sale came, he was firmly planted in his role.

"I thought he was really mature," said Turner, now with the Boston Celtics. "I don't think he tried to come in and make it about himself. He tried his best to fit in. I think he was great defensively and he knew how to play the game. The biggest thing was that he came in and he tried to fit in. He didn't try to get people to adjust to him, he wanted to fit in. That's a big thing, especially coming out of college. Sometimes you get a little lofty. But he means well and in a lot of moments you could tell he was really more about winning than anything else. That's his biggest thing and that's what I truly liked about him. I think he had a lot of aspects of becoming a leader."

Like last year, there are still hurdles. Carter-Williams turned the ball over way too much last season, averaging 4.2 a game. His shot also needs plenty of work. And, sometimes his shot selection is a bit questionable.

While those things stick out, you can't help but wonder how good he will be when Hinkie's Plan starts coming to fruition. Carter-Williams is terrific at getting defenders on his hip during his forays into the lane. Should he have Joel Embiid to dish to or a couple of good long-distant shooters spotted up, perhaps those turnovers and poor shot choices will go down and the assists will go up.

His maturity has shown lately, after a bit of a low point in the season. After a humiliating 35-point loss in Washington on Jan. 19, Nerlens Noel had some choice words about the big men not getting the ball enough. It seemed to be a direct shot at MCW, though the two blew it off the next day. In that game, Carter-Williams shot just 2-for-13, turned the ball over four times and collected only five assists. He then attempted 26 shots the next game, making 10 in a loss to the lowly New York Knicks.

He's been more selective and productive since then. In the last even games he has played (he has missed the past three with a strained right big toe) Carter-Williams has led the team to a 3-4 record while averaging 11.9 points, 8.6 assists and 6.7 rebounds. He has done that while averaging just 11 shots a game.

"When he distributes, he's unreal," said Turner. "I think there are a lot of point guards in this league who are trying to be scorers, when they're not. What sets him aside is his ability to make passes and get his teammates involved. I think he's staying positive through this situation and a few more years down the line I think he's going to benefit even more from these rough times and keep going.

"I think Brett did a great job of being patient with him while he developed. That's a big thing. At the same time, that first game of his really gave him confidence. That was huge for him. They have the right guys on the coaching staff to make sure he's comfortable. The most important thing is that he listens. He takes one thing at a time and he has a bigger picture mentality."

"Imagine him when he fully fills out," said Brown. "He will easily get up to 200 pounds or so. Then, when he goes to the basket, right at the rim, he's going to have a lot of positive results. And when you think about Joel being down in the post and Nerlens running down the lane and perhaps a couple of spot shooters waiting in the corners . . . And he is so long on defense. He can be really good there for a really long time, too."

If it all comes together the way the coach envisions, maybe that stat line he posted in his first game will become somewhat normal for Carter-Williams.