So Sean Williams is "Baby Amare" as Dave McMenamin of NBA.com described him this week, or a "younger version of Amare" as John Lucas, his mentor, described him before the draft. Heady comparison.
As Warner Wolf says, "let's go to the video tape", or in our case, the ESPN historical record. How does Sean Williams' first 12 games rank with the Suns' center's first 12 games?
Not badly, as it turns out. Their heights, weights and ages are quite similar. Amare Stoudemire, 6'10" and a listed 240 then, turned 20 in that initial stretch; Sean Williams, 6'10" and a listed 235, has just turned 21.
In the first 12 games of his career, in 2002-03, Stoudemire averaged 7.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.6 bpg in 24.4 minutes. But he also shot 30-for-93, a miserable 32.2%. He had a two-game stretch, one his first start, where he didn't hit a single field goal, going 0-8. His single game bests for those 12 games were 15 points, 13 rebounds (both in the 12th game) and 6 blocks. On a 40-minute basis, he averaged 12.7 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. Of those 12 games, he started two. (He finished the season at 13.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg and 1.1 bpg, shooting 47.2%)
In the first 12 games of his career, in 2007-08, Williams has averaged 8.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.2 bpg in 19.5 minutes. But he also shot 35-for-56, or 62.5% which would lead the league...if he had enough attempts. He had a three-game stretch where he shot 15-for-23. His single game bests for those 12 games have been 22 points, 8 rebounds (both in his seventh game) and 4 blocks...three times. On a 40-minute basis, he has averaged 17.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.5 blocks. His 5.33 blocks per 48 minutes leads the league. Of those 12 games, like Amare, he has started two...but Williams first started in his seventh game, Stoudemire in his 11th.
Of course, Stoudemire's point guard was Stephon Marbury while Williams' is Jason Kidd.