On The Clock: Florida State's Patrick Williams
If I had to choose a handful of words to describe Florida State’s Patrick Williams I'd say athletic, promising, impactful, and the last one will be talented. As a recruit, the 6-foot-8 prospect out of Charlotte, North Carolina, was seen as a Top-50 recruit by several outlets and committed to the Seminoles on October 6th, 2018.
You ask yourself how could the fourth-leading scorer on his team give him enough to be a lottery pick? My answer is simple: His upside. The promising 19-year-old was such an impactful player for one of the nation’s toughest opponents.
Before I dive into my draft projection let’s get talk about his skill and potential for one second.
The 6-foot-8 prospect also has a 6’11 wingspan. He’s 19-years-old, with those measurables at that age it instantly gives you intrigue as far as size and skill at his position go.
My favorite aspect of his game is easily his defense. Watching him on defense is actually very interesting. At his size and for his high-flying ability, he’s able to read an offense and his vision defensively is scary. Coaches have raved about his ability to read passing lanes but also complete his plays after forcing turnovers.
In addition to being a ball-hawk, Williams also blocks a good amount of shots. In all of his appearances for FSU, he averaged nearly one block and one steal per game, making him and his length an instant impact defensively on the next level.
Now we give my draft projection...
My head has been wrapped around two (*maybe three) teams: Knicks, Spurs, and *Cavaliers. All will make selections in the lottery. The highest team of the group I listed are the Cavaliers at five, they also have an interest in Williams’ college running mate, Devin Vassell.
Knicks: Off the bat, you’re adding a prospect who will impact that young roster immediately. After drafting RJ Barrett, they’ve been looking for that one prospect who could solidify that young core that they’re building in the Mecca. Williams would be slotted likely at the 3-4 and would be impactful defensively where he could defend the perimeter which is an area they lacked in. Overall they were Top-15 in the league in points allowed, not bad there. Offensively, Williams scoring stats aren’t eye-popping but he’d be useful off the ball and also could draw a lot of fouls [84% FT].
Spurs: The Spurs epitomize development. Bringing in a prospect of Williams’ caliber to develop could be very scary especially under that staff led by Greg Popovich. The mixture of his improving basketball-IQ and his ‘freak-of-nature’ athleticism makes him an interesting piece to add to this Spurs roster who could use a player like Williams to build around in the coming years.
This will be a name to keep an eye on as we approach draft night just two weeks away. Williams remains working out this offseason leading up until the draft.