“It’s been really helpful,” Lillard said. “I don’t have to handle the ball the whole time, get us into the offense, guard the other point guard the whole time. It makes it easier over the course of the game.”
Lillard has also been able to get more rest while Williams leads the team. He’s averaging two fewer minutes per game than last season, which may not sound like a lot, but it accumulates over 82 games.
While Williams is known as a scorer, he pushes Portland, especially when he is the only ball-handler on the court during Lillard’s rest time.
Crunching the data of when Williams is on the court without Lillard shows his effect.
In two five-man line-ups without Lillard, Williams pushes Portland’s normally below average pace to a top-ten pace, meaning they average more possessions per 48 minutes when he is running the show as the lone ball-handler, per NBA.com.
“We knew we had to come in and kind of be the deciding factor of the game,” Williams said after their win against Indiana where he scored three straight baskets in the fourth quarter. “We had to kind of push the tempo, make plays and give our team a chance to win.”
Pushing the pace and giving his team a chance to win is exactly what he’s been able to do so far this season. Now his new team has as many wins as his former team has losses.
