Cleveland Cavaliers Player Watch: Mo Williams' Milestones to Look For in 2016-17
Nov 2, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams (52) scores past Philadelphia 76ers guard Isaiah Canaan (0) during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. The Cavaliers won 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
We can’t wait for start of the 2016-17 NBA season and Mo Williams just announced he’ll play another year, so here are his milestones to look out for.
Last year was an incredible season for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They had their ups and downs, from Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert‘s injuries to chemistry issues later on in the regular season and a 3-1 deficit in the Finals.
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Despite the rocky road, the Cavs came out on top. They united and prevailed, giving the franchise its first ever NBA championship and giving Cleveland its first major sports title in 52 years.
While last season was a dream for Clevelanders and Cavs fans everywhere, it ended more than two months ago. And now we’re ready for some more basketball and counting down the days until the 2016-17 NBA season begins.
In the meantime, we’re taking a look at all the milestones that various Cavs players can reach this upcoming season. Mo Williams just announced that he will play another year for the Cavs, so he’s next on our list. At the age of 33 and with 13 seasons under his belt, Williams has quite a few milestones to look out for.
Dec 4, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams (52) drives past New Orleans Pelicans guard Norris Cole (30) during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
850th Game
Mo Williams is a veteran point guard who has played in 818 games over his 13 years in the NBA. That means he averages around 63 (62.9 to be exact) games per year over his professional basketball career. If he can play his career average of games this year (and that’s a big “if,” given his recent health problems from thumb and knee injuries), he can end up with 881 games. But even if he doesn’t play his career average, Williams is likely to reach the milestone of 850 games played.
Dec 11, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams (52) catches the ball as Orlando Magic guard Shabazz Napier (13) defends during the second half at Amway Center. The Cavaliers won 111-76. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
25,000th Minute Played
With 13 years in the NBA and over 800 games under his belt, it’s no surprise that Williams has played his fair share of minutes. Despite injuries, Williams still has a career average of 29.2 minutes per game. If he can play those minutes over his career average of 63 games, he can play 1,840 minutes this year alone. Adding that to his current minute count of 23,872 means he could get 25,711 minutes.
But being plagued by injuries, on top of the addition of point guard Kay Felder, means it’s not a given that Williams will or can play nearly 30 minutes each game. Still, even if he played his 2015-2016 average of 18.2 minutes per game, he could reach the 25,000th minute milestone.
Mar 31, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams (52) celebrates a three-point basket in the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
4,300th Field Goal
Last year, Williams made 132 field goals, pushing him past the 4,000th field goal milestone to 4,051 total. Over his time in the NBA, Williams has averaged exactly 5.0 field goals per game. So if he can play his career average of 63 games this year, Williams could get 315 more field goals this year. That would give him a total of 4,366, passing the 4,300th field goal mark by just a bit.
In addition, Williams can hit milestones in both three and two point field goals. Williams has a killer mid-range game and currently has 2,957 two pointers. So with less than 50 to 3,000, he’ll likely hit that milestone. To back that up, Williams averages 3.6 two pointers per game, so if he can get that over 63 games, he’ll get 226.8. That puts him comfortably over the 3,000th two-point field goal milestone (and even gets him to the 3,100th milestone).
As for three-pointers, Williams already has over 1,000 in the bank (1,094 specifically). He hit 36 threes last year to put him over that milestone. But with an average of 1.3 threes per game, Williams can get over 80 this year, which would give him over 1,175 threes. So he could easily hit the 1,100th milestone for three pointers.
Nov 25, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams (52) goes to the basket against Toronto Raptors point guard Cory Joseph (6) at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Cavaliers 103-99. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
1,600th Free Throw
Williams’ ability to drive to the basket means he can get to the free throw line. He has already shot a total of 1,563 free throws over his career, so with less than 50 to 1,600, he’ll likely hit that milestone. Moreover, Williams averages 1.9 free throws per game, so over his career average of 63 games, he can shoot 119 free throws this year. That would put him over the 1,600th milestone by more than 80 shots.
Nov 6, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams (52) and Philadelphia 76ers guard T.J. McConnell (12) go for a loose ball during the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 108-102. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
2,400th Total Rebound
Williams may not be known by many for his rebounding, but he can be pretty tenacious on the boards. He averages 2.8 total rebounds per game, which is pretty good for a point guard who specializes in shooting, driving to the basket and assisting. If he can get those 2.8 rebounds over his career average 63 games, he can grab 176 rebounds. Adding that to his current total of 2,264 means that Williams can reach the 2,400th rebound mark and beyond.
Looking more specifically into rebounds, Williams can also reach a milestone with defensive rebounds. He does better on the defensive boards, averaging 2.3 defensive rebounds per game. If he can grab that average over 63 games, he can get 144 rebounds. If we add this to his current total of 1,857, he can hit the 2,000th defensive rebound milestone.
Nov 2, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams (52) attempts to pass around the defense of Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
4,000th Assist
As a point guard, it makes sense that Williams is nearing a milestone in assists. As of right now, he has 3,990 assists, so with just 10 more, it’s basically a given that he’ll hit his 4,000th assist. But he can get even more than that, given he averages 4.9 assists per game over his 13 seasons in the NBA. If he can get that 4.9 number over a career average of 63 games, Williams can get 308 assists this year. That would land him at 4,298 assists, so perhaps we’ll see him reach an even hire mark than 4,000.
Nov 4, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams (52) shoots against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland won 96-86. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
11,000th Point
One of Williams’ biggest milestones, at least numbers-wise, will be in points. He is known as a scoring threat with his ability to drive to the basket or shoot threes, and especially his smooth mid-range game.
After 13 years in the NBA, Williams has accrued 10,759 total points. He’s less than 300 away from hitting 11,000 and with his averages he can get even more than that. He averages 13.2 points per game, so if he can get that number over a career average of 63 games, he can score 831 points this season. That would amount to 11,590 total points, putting him well past the 11,000th point milestone and even past the 11,500th mark.