Lou Williams can't wait to run the point for the Sixers. After 252 games and four seasons in which he's been a backup combo guard, He will likely get his first chance to start now that Andre Miller signed with the Trail Blazers.
"It's something I felt like I've been prepared (to do) for a long time," Williams said. "This is one of the more important summers of my career. I'm just pushing myself to be a better player, to take advantage of the opportunity and to become one of the leaders of this team." Williams, 22, who came into the league right out of high school, has played more shooting guard than point and tends to look for his shot more than setting up his teammates, which is different from the way Miller played. He averaged a career-high 12.8 points last season, though he also shot just .398 from the floor.
"I'm not going to be perfect," Williams said. "One thing I would ask people is to not expect Andre Miller out of me. I'm not that type of player. I use my scoring ability to create opportunities for other guys and he used his passing ability to create opportunities for other guys. Hopefully, people will stay open-minded."
Williams believes that Eddie Jordan's active Princeton offense should make his job simpler because it doesn't overburden the point guard with having to handle the ball as much as in regular offenses.
"Coach Jordan is putting us in a position where everybody's going to get a crack at the ball," Williams said. "There's not so much pressure on the point guard."
