The San Antonio Spurs know when they’ll be picking in the NBA Draft, whenever that may happen. With the lottery over, there have been plenty of updated mock drafts predicting who the Spurs will pick at No. 11. One of the players most commonly mocked there is Florida State forward Patrick Williams, and that’s who we will take a look at today.
The 6-foot-8, 225-pound freshman is the youngest collegiate player in this draft and so one of his best assets is going to be his upside. He has already shown great versatility on defense and his NBA-ready body will be an asset for his driving ability to boot. Here are some of his stats from the shortened 2019-20 season.
- 9.2 PPG, 1 BPG, 4 RPG, 1 SPG, 1 APG
- 45.9 FG%, 32 3P%, 83.8 FT%
- 106.9 ORtg, 94.1 DRtg
- *Per 100: 23.6 PPG, 2.6 BPG, 2.5 SPG, 2.5 APG, 10.2 RPG
Williams is a long, strong and versatile defender who can likely guard three or four positions at the next level. He is a good help side defender and that’s where many of his blocks came from for the Seminoles. However, he will have to limit his gambling on defense and he can get beat going side-to-side. His lateral quickness is not ideal right now and allows ball handlers to get to their spots, but his length and jumping ability can compensate a little bit for that. He has to close out better and improve his footwork, but those are all things that can be coached.
The lanky forward can take slower defenders off the dribble, create enough on offense to get teammates open, and he is quite comfortable pulling up in the mid-range. He regularly pulled up over smaller defenders inside the arc and was a menace on the baseline against zone defenses. He was also a solid driver from the wing into the middle of the paint, but he does have some trouble finishing at the rim.
The former Seminole is a good offensive rebounder as he often sticks his nose in the paint on teammates’ shot attempts. His tenacity and motor allowed him to get some good putbacks on those rebounds and to make the most of his minimal playing time on the court.
Williams is one of the more ideal candidates for the Spurs at the 11th pick and should get serious consideration. He would fit a need for the Spurs as a versatile wing who has shooting potential and can play defense at a couple different positions.
*It is important to note Williams’ “per 100” numbers since he only averaged 22.5 minutes a game this season. Those numbers look incredible, but what he can really do if given proper minutes in the NBA probably lies somewhere in between those two extremes.*
