Friday, October 8, 2010

Alumni Profile: Charlie Villanueva


Looking Back: Villanueva signed a new contract with the Pistons and had a poor season. He struggled with scoring, barely averaging double digits. While Detroit wanted Charlie to step up and justify starter minutes, he only averaged just 23.7 minutes a game, his career worst. Villanueva struggled in providing that offensive spark off the bench that the Pistons desperately needed and the team fell into mediocrity.

The Good: Charlie has a versatile game. He is athletic, long, and can create his own shot off the dribble. He has a decent jumper, hitting .351 from deep last season, a career best and does a great job of not turning the ball over at only .95 a game. While his offensive numbers mostly went down from last season, he is fluid with the ball in his hands and can attack the basket off the dribble. One of the best sides of Villanueva is off the court where does a lot for his charity in helping those with Alopecia, which he suffers from.

The Bad: He isn’t known for being physical and needs to do a much better job of attacking the glass for rebounds, only averaging 4.7 a game, his career worst. He is not known for his defense and averages under one a game in both steals and blocks. He has a small forward game trapped in a power forward's body. He needs to be able to fight for position on the block and bang more down low for second chance opportunities.

Looking Ahead: Villanueva is determined to put last season behind him. He is primed to get more minutes behind aging starters ahead of him in the rotation and needs to prove that he can be a secondary scorer on the team to solidify the wing position that has been a mystery for Detroit last year. If he can pick up the scoring, provide some defensive tenacity, and rebound better, then he should have solid season.

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