Washington Wizards 2020 NBA Draft: Patrick Williams profile
By Ethan Smith
Patrick Williams: Strengths
One of Patrick Williams’ greatest strengths is, well, his strength. Willaims isn’t the most polished player in the draft this season, but his raw ability and incredible athleticism more than makeup for any inexperience.
Even as a freshman, Williams often looked like a man among boys while at Florida State. Although he will undoubtedly be undersized and outmuscled as a rookie at the NBA level, Williams is only getting bigger. He’s this imposing now — standing 6’8 with a 6’11 wingspan — just wait and see what he looks like after a few years with an NBA training staff.
Williams uses his length and athleticism to his advantage on the defensive end. At 6’8, he’s not as tall as you would expect a typical rim protector to be, but Williams can protect the cup. His block rate while at Florida State was 5.6 percent. Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard finished the 2019-20 NBA season ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, with block rates of 6.0 and 5.4 percent.
On the offensive end, Williams is an adept cutter and excels off the ball. Whether he’s filling the lane or leaping to finish an alley-oop, he makes things easier for his teammates as a slasher. He’s also shown flashes of ball-handling and play-making ability but will need to develop those aspects of his game if he wants to be trusted with the ball in his hands at the next level.