Tag: Jay Williams

ESPN’s Jay Williams may have spilled the beans early on JJ Redick becoming the Lakers’ next head coach

Jay Williams, I don’t think you were supposed to say that

Look, we don’t officially know who the Los Angeles Lakers’ next head coach is going to be. But all signs seem to point straight to JJ Redick.

And if the signs aren’t pointing there well enough, then ESPN’s Jay Williams just did.

In a segment about who the best franchise in the NBA is following the Celtics’ championship win, Williams may have accidentally broken a little news about Redick taking the Lakers’ coaching job.

RELATED: We should’ve known Darvin Ham was cooked as soon as JJ Redick did a podcast with LeBron James

The current ESPN color commentator has long been speculated as the choice for the Lakers as the team’s next head coach and it seemed like it might not happen for a second after the whole Dan Hurley thing (that was weird, huh?).

Redick was supposed to let us in on whatever his future holds after the NBA Finals. The Finals are officially over, so we’ll probably hear something soon.

But Williams seems to know something we don’t here. Take a listen:

“I feel like you have the Los Angeles Lakers who are trying to figure it out with JJ Redick, a first-time head coach. We wish him all the best of luck with LeBron James in his twilight years.”

Uh, Jay. I’m not sure if that one was out yet, buddy. These faces say it all.

Williams might know something here. Based on the current reporting, he could also potentially be speaking out of turn. We don’t quite know yet, but we should find out soon.

Either way, this made for a hilariously awkward moment on Get Up this morning.

Social media reacts to Duke legend saying he would transfer to UNC

Social media reacts to former Duke star Jay Williams saying he would transfer to the UNC basketball program if he had a choice.

The UNC men’s basketball team has been playing their best basketball of the year lately, so much so that even a former Duke star admitted that the Tar Heels would be his choice in the transfer portal.

Duke guard turned sports analyst Jay Williams had social media in a frenzy while commentating the Kansas and Oklahoma State. Williams was asked, if the transfer portal existed when he played where he would go, answering Georgetown. However, when followed up about playing in today’s game, which school would be his choice, he reluctantly said UNC.

Williams credited the fast pace UNC plays with as why, highlighting how they let RJ Davis go out and play at his pace. Williams even acknowledged how the answer would make it difficult to return home (Cameron Indoor Stadium), but decided to keep it real.

Safe to say the answer caused quite a stir on social with college hoop fans discussing their what if. Let’s take a look at how social media reacted to Williams saying he would transfer to UNC if he played today.

Jay Williams’ praise of Jimmy Butler has fans debating if it’s just Himmy or a Heat team effort

Butler has been special, but is this really one of the best playoff runs ever?

There’s no denying what Jimmy Butler has accomplished this postseason has been spectacular. With averages of 28.5 points, seven rebounds, almost six assists, and two steals a game, Butler has been the catalyst behind the eight-seed play-in Miami Heat’s run to the 2023 NBA Finals.

But is it the best-ever individual play by one player taking his team to the NBA’s championship series? ESPN’s Jay Williams seems to think so, based on a recent endorsement of Butler. The analyst claimed he’s never seen someone like Butler play so well to take a team like these specific Heat to the brink of a title.

And, at face value, such an opinion doesn’t seem all that ludicrous.

What might get lost in the shuffle is that Miami still has excellent pieces, despite its status as the Eastern Conference’s lowest seed.

Bam Adebayo might be one of the NBA’s better big-man defenders. Caleb Martin lost the East Finals MVP to Butler by one whole vote. And Erik Spoelstra, the man pulling all the strings for a well-disciplined squad that almost always plays all 48 minutes, is arguably the league’s best coach by a mile.

That said, the Heat seemingly had every obstacle placed in front of them this postseason. They barely survived a play-in game against the Chicago Bulls. Then, over the course of two months, they took out three East heavyweights in the No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks, No. 5 seed New York Knicks, and No. 2 seed Boston Celtics. After an inconsistent year where they proved more unreliable than anything, no one saw this meteoric run coming.

A lot of that is squarely on Butler’s shoulders, even if his team is better on paper than a typical No. 8 seed.

NBA fans took to Williams’ “never seen” praise of Playoff Butler, wondering where his spring stood in context, if the success is more about the other Heat players, and how it compares to other great heroic runs to the Finals.

Jay Williams: Lakers ‘can win a world championship’

ESPN analyst Jay Williams is one of a growing number of observers who sees lots of potential in the new-look Lakers.

With LeBron James finally back after missing a month with a right foot tendon injury, the Los Angeles Lakers have a chance to start taking off.

They showed some glimpses of what they’re capable of being on Wednesday when they defeated the Chicago Bulls on the road, 121-110. It wasn’t their absolute best game, but they looked impressive at times against a team that had outhustled them three days earlier.

Los Angeles outrebounded the Bulls by 13, and while James looked good, it received 38 points on 13-of-20 shooting from Anthony Davis, as well as 19 points, five assists and a “too small” gesture directed at Patrick Beverley from Austin Reaves.

A growing number of people are seeing potential in this version of the Lakers. That includes former NBA player and current ESPN analyst Jay Williams, who said they could win the world championship, possibly as soon as this season.

The Lakers are eighth in the Western Conference, and a big key to their newfound success is defense, which has been one of the league’s best over the last several weeks. In addition, newcomer D’Angelo Russell has elevated their level of play.

Their best shot at winning it all will likely be next season, assuming they retain enough of their current players, when they will have a full training camp together. But given how wide-open the West is, anything is technically possible this spring.

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Stephen A. Smith and Jay Williams had the most awkwardly heated Kyrie Irving argument on First Take

“Stop telling us what you find interesting, and just tell us what you FEEL!”

In the wake of Sunday’s blockbuster Kyrie Irving trade to the Mavericks, members of the NBA world have started to discuss the fallout.

For one, how will Irving fit in with Luka Doncic? Are the Mavericks that much better, especially in regard to winning a potential title? What about where LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers go from here?

On First Take Monday morning, it appeared that ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Jay Williams tried to have a conversation about Irving and what went wrong with the Brooklyn Nets. However, this interaction quickly went off the rails as Williams seemed to have an issue with how Smith apparently talks about Irving on-air sometimes.

Warning: The evident discomfort is a lot to handle.

I’m not sure whether Williams’ critique of Smith has any merit, but it’s hard not to see why he got frustrated over the insinuation of his integrity. And to have the reaction and backlash toward Williams happen live on air? While Tim Legler sat there in silence?

Man, that is just so awkward.

This Patriots-Lakers comparison by ESPN’s Jay Williams really stings

This is a rough comparison for both teams.

In a normal world, the New England Patriots being compared with the Los Angeles Lakers would be a good thing. What’s not to like about two of the greatest sports franchises in history mentioned in the same breath?

Well, nothing—nothing at all, assuming we could forget about the present and just live in the past.

ESPN analyst Jay Williams dropped a stinging comparison during a recent episode of “Get Up!” During the segment, he referred to both the Patriots and Lakers as “marginal playoff teams.”

“I look at the Los Angeles Lakers and the New England Patriots as the same, right? We’re going to talk about them all the time,” said Williams. “One has the greatest coach of all time. Can he do it without Tom Brady? And the other one has LeBron James, right? But realistically, when you look at both teams, they’re marginal playoff teams. They’re going to be barely right there or maybe be on the outside looking in.”

A marginal playoff team actually sounds like a positive considering all of the negative buzz surrounding the Patriots this year.

Coach Bill Belichick has still yet to settle on an official offensive coordinator, which means he’s the de facto leader of the offense and defense, along with serving as head coach and general manager over the franchise as well.

So Patriots fans could seriously consider it a win if this isn’t the train wreck some have vehemently proclaimed is coming.

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Jay Williams believes Mark Jackson, not Steve Nash, could be answer for Nets

ESPN’s Jay Williams believes Mark Jackson, not Steve Nash, could be the answer for the Brooklyn Nets.

For now, Kevin Durant will be returning to the Brooklyn Nets for the 2022-23 season after backing down from his trade request back on June 30. The Nets were not able to find the right package for themselves and they have worked it out with Durant so that he will return.

Durant’s return does bring up the question of what happens with coach Steve Nash. It wasn’t too long ago that Durant made an ultimatum to team governor Joe Tsai that it was either trade him or fire Nash and GM Sean Marks.

Neither of that happened so now they have to make it work. What does this mean for Nash’s future with the Nets?

ESPN’s Jay Williams believes Brooklyn should be looking into former Golden State Warriors coach, Mark Jackson:

Steve Nash is on the hot, hot, hot seat. Don’t sit down as a matter of fact it was only a week and a half ago two weeks ago that Kevin Durant gave Joe Tsai an ultimatum by saying ‘Hey, look I’ll come back if Steve Nash and Sean Marks are not here’, but now Steve Nash being there. What position does that put him in? And the accountability that you need Steve Nash to hold? I still do not think that Steve Nash is the answer. I do not think that. I think Mark Jackson could be the answer.

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Jackson did a lot of good things with the Warriors helping Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson develop into the players they have become so he will be a prime candidate should the Nets move on from Nash. Therefore, the Nets will need a very successful season just to keep Nash’s job moving forward with the franchise.

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ESPN’s Jay Williams believes James Harden can lead Sixers to success

ESPN’s Jay Williams believes that James Harden can lead the Philadelphia 76ers to success in the Eastern Conference.

The Philadelphia 76ers have one of the best rosters in the East on paper led by one of the best players in the game regardless of position in Joel Embiid as well as a future Hall of Famer in James Harden.

The Sixers acquired Harden from the Brooklyn Nets at the deadline and while he did not look like his MVP self, he still averaged 21 points, 10.5 assists, and 7.1 rebounds. Those numbers are nothing to sneeze at and he made life much easier for Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey on the offensive end of the floor.

Now that Harden is re-signed to a 2-year deal, and a full summer to rest from his hamstring injury, the hope is that he can give even more in the 2022-23 season. ESPN’s Jay Williams believes Harden can be that guy again for Philadelphia:

The drive that I’m kind of starting to feel from James Harden is different. I’m just seeing the vibes kind of change. Now, the vibe of him leaving from Houston, I don’t think he was being a professional the right way and how he handled that, but as there’s been more color provided with what’s happening with Brooklyn, I’m starting to understand a little bit more why James Harden won out of that situation and I’m seeing him kind of see things from a leadership perspective where I’m like, ‘Okay, James, like you’re working out now. I’m hearing about you building, buying into getting your body right.’ I’m not saying he’s not going to be injury prone, but the man did come up with a hamstring injury last year, and almost averaged a triple-double and was a shell of himself. So that’s where I get a little bit scared, like, ‘Oh, you’re a shell of yourself, you weren’t the same player, but you did almost average a triple-double.’ So if you can get it to a different gear, if you can add more of a defensive prowess to this team, and Joel Embiid playing with the same kind of anger because he didn’t get MVP the last two years, I see them in the upper echelon. They’re going to be there.

Time will tell whether Philadelphia can make a run to the NBA Finals, but they have just as good a chance as anybody. The Sixers will just have to figure out how to overcome the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics, and the Miami Heat as well as the Nets–if they keep Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving–in a tough Eastern Conference.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Jay Williams: Klay Thompson might dealing with more than a shooting slump

Klay Thompson hasn’t been shooting very well in the 2022 NBA Finals. Is he in a shooting slump, or is this something more?

Is Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson in a shooting slump? Or could he really be in a new stage of his career? One national analyst certainly thinks so. ESPN’s Jay Williams said as such on a Tuesday episode of the Keyshawn, JWill, & Max Show.

Williams suggested Klay’s poor shooting nights throughout the playoffs aren’t just a player fighting through a slump. Instead, he offered Thompson may simply be a different player at this stage of his career. His “heavy legs” and hanging shots on the front rim is proof positive of a new version of Klay Thompson. Williams suggested he needs to change his style of play as a result, especially in the face of Boston’s exceptional defense.

Through two games in the NBA Finals, Thompson is shooting just 30.3% from the field and an icy 26.7% from three. The former All-Star missed nearly 31 months of playing time due to consecutive leg injuries, and finally returned to action in January of this year.

See what Williams, Johnson, and Kellerman had to see about Klay here:

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ESPN’s Jay Williams criticizes Luka Doncic’s Game 1 effort: He just quit on plays

Jay Williams calls out Luka Doncic over his defensive effort vs. the Warriors.

During a taping of ESPN’s “Keyshawn, JWill & Max” show, former Duke great Jay Williams did not hold back in his criticism of Luka Doncic and his lackluster Game 1 performance in the Western Conference finals.

Doncic is one of the NBA’s ascendent superstars, but on Wednesday night he left something to be desired. He finished the Mavericks loss with 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists, but he was a minus-30 on the night. The postseason is when the best players in the world elevate their game, and following the lopsided tilt, Williams sounded off.

In the clip below, Williams criticizes Luka’s meager defense. Said Williams, “I’m saying this like in a laughing, sarcastic way — he might be bottom-five defensively.”

Williams continued, calling out Doncic for half-hearted effort. Likewise, he questioned the fourth-year guard’s off-ball contributions. You can watch the entire segment here:

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