Alumni Profile: Charlie Villanueva

Looking Back:  Charlie Villanueva had his worst season of his career last year.  Like so many players during the lockout, the tough scheduling that it produced helped contribute to an injury that only stopped his season short after 13 games.   When he was playing, it was sparingly averaging only 13.8 minutes a game.  There were grumblings about his play when he was healthy and some wanted to have his contract waived even if it didn’t help Detroit’s salary cap.  All in all, it was a season to forget for Charlie.

The Good: Villanueva has a silky smooth game, some would call it finesse but he can play physical if he wants too.  He has a solid jumper but has never averaged over .390 from deep, he can play above the rim, has great athleticism, and has good ball handling skills.  He has a multitude of ways to score and is a solid rotation piece.

The Bad: Charlie has had enough time in the league that teams know what they are going to get from him.  He has yet to average over 17 points per game and his rebounding numbers aren’t great especially for his position.  The major knock against him is his tenacity on the defensive side of the ball.  He doesn’t block many shots nor does he get steals, averaging less then one a game.  He also doesn’t share the ball either, getting one assist every other game isn’t going to cut it.  All the tools are there for a great player but he lacks consistency from each of those tools to make him a starter.

Looking Ahead:  This is a huge year for Villanueva and he knows it.   He needs to showcase a more well rounded game and make plays that doesn’t include scoring.  He needs to bang inside for second chance points and draw a defender and dish it off for a better shot.  If he can do those things then he should have a good year, but so far his time in Detroit has done little to evolve his game.