Trail Blazers: 3 players to watch as March Madness approaches

Patrick Williams (FSU, SF/PF)

Patrick Williams has come a long way this year. The freshman is still coming off of the bench for Florida State, but don’t let this fool you — the small forward is contributing in a big way, and looks better and better as the games go by.

The typical prediction for Patrick Williams right now is to be drafted in the first round, but closer to the end of the pile as opposed to the top 10. Williams will likely be available for Portland if they don’t end up in the lottery, but this is not a stab at his potential; the 6-foot-8 forward has been showing off his high ceiling in recent weeks.

After experiencing somewhat of a slump midway through the season, Williams has now scored in double figures in 5 of his last 6 games, as well as around 6 rebounds and a block a game too. Williams is now becoming a serious piece of this FSU team as they gear up for March Madness.

The thing I love the most about the forward is definitely his defense and boy, do the Trail Blazers need some of that. Williams has quick lateral footwork, can protect the paint well, and has the ability to switch on defense, a skill that has opened up some doors for Florida State. Williams has been quoted numerous times this year claiming he thinks of defense first, and his play his showing this.

As his numbers state, his offense has been steadily improving too. Williams is now up to 9.3 points per game on 46 percent from the field and has shown that he has some shooting touch too. The forward shoots 34 percent from deep, and 85 percent from the line — the latter stat suggests his shooting touch has room for improvement and is something that should be considered when drafting.

https://twitter.com/MattBabcock11/status/1230200188729298945

Patrick Williams is noticeably improving this season and is definitely worth keeping an eye on, especially as his draft stock remains fairly low.