VITALS: 6-7, 205, Arizona OVERVIEW: Williams earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors as a sophomore. He finished fourth in the conference in scoring (16.6 ppg) and eighth in rebounding (6.7 rpg). Williams had 11 games of 20 points or more, including a career-high 34 to go with 12 rebounds against Oregon. He posted four double-doubles last season, grabbing a career-high 16 points and scoring 21 points against San Diego State. Showed an ability to hit from the arc, including a 4-for-4 effort against Nevada-Las Vegas, but his 3-point shooting percentage dipped sharply from .435 as a freshman to .288 as a sophomore. LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: Late first-rounder who could slip due to uncertainty about his maturity and work ethic. COMPARATIVE UPSIDE: Paul Pierce COMPARATIVE DOWNSIDE: Jarvis Hayes ROLE PROJECTION: Scoring small forward with lots to learn about the game. POSITIVES: Williams has the potential to become a bona fide go-to scorer in the NBA. He's an excellent perimeter shooter who can occasionally take the ball to the basket and score. Williams is at his best operating in 1-on-1 situations, where he can set his man up with fakes and then pull up from mid-range. Williams can fill the lane on the fast break and has ideal speed and quickness for the small forward position. He has shown an ability to rebound by using his athleticism. He should be able to gain weight and strength in the coming years and become an even more effective scorer. SHORTCOMINGS: There have been questions about whether Williams gives consistent effort at times other than when he has the ball in his hands. A lack of maturity has been cited as a reason why he was not more dominant on the collegiate level despite having that level of ability. It is an open question whether this is a phase a young player is going through or a personality defect that will prevent Williams from fully taking advantage of his skills. Initially, he may be too light to compete defensively against stronger NBA players.
Have you've seen this egotistic maniac play before? He's a top notch scorer, plus he can do it in the post and perimeter. He played some PG, SG, & SF his freshman year and then played SF & PF his sophomore year, so he has some versatility. I like the Paul Pierce comparison, I'm suprised that his stock has slipped as much as it has, and I wouldn't mind if Utah took him. His defense is overlooked because he was on Arizona, but he had to cover post player, which isn't quite up his alley.
