Portland Trail Blazers lottery-level prospect four – Patrick Williams
Patrick Williams is a six-foot-eight forward who will be one of the most versatile players in this year’s draft. Williams played one-year at Florida State, and although he may not have the counting stats of some of the above peers, he is gifted with a wide range of skills that can positively impact an NBA team right away.
Williams makes and takes tough shots, and he is an excellent finisher at the rim. He gets to the line often and shoots an excellent 83 percent there. Offensively, Williams plays well in a system or as an iso-threat who can get his own shot. He is a great screener and is selfless in trying to get others involved.
Though he only shot 32 percent from three, his above free throw shooting numbers bode well for his development. He needs to work hard on his game to be able to hit shots off the dribble, but at the moment, he is a likely spot-up or pick and pop threat.
As a defender, Williams athleticism enables him to make massive help plays at the rim. His man defense needs work, but at just 18-years-old, he has time to work on this part of his game. He is great as a straight line athlete but needs to ramp up his defensive fundamentals as a man defender.
Williams has been mocked anywhere from 7 – 18 on boards so far this draft season. I project him as a high-level role player who could help the Blazers off the bench as a back up forward right away.