Earlier this week, Kentucky got their first commit under new head coach Mark Pope. Unlike what we've grown used to with Kentucky, this commit wasn't a highly touted high-school recruit, but instead a decorated college player heading into his fifth year of eligibility. Amari Williams has had an incredibly successful four-year career at Drexel, winning the Coastal Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year award the past three seasons. Last year he was the best player on a solid Drexel team, putting up very enticing numbers that obviously caught the eye of Mark Pope and Kentucky. That said, it wasn't only the box score statistics that put him on power five radars; it was his film that had the top programs in the country licking their lips. Today, I want to break down some of that film, and in the process attempt to convey why Amari Williams is the perfect player to hold down Kentucky's frontcourt next season.
pc: Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire
Williams' primary calling card is his size and strength. He's listed at 6'10" and 265lbs with a 7'5" wingspan. I actually think he may be slightly taller than that after seeing some pictures of him towering over Mark Pope, who is supposed to be 6'10" himself. Even if those numbers are accurate, he plays far bigger than that, looking like the biggest player on the floor no matter who he's matched up against. He's an absolute behemoth, and he uses this to his advantage on both ends of the floor. That said, he also has a finesse game that you wouldn't expect out of a guy his size. While I wouldn't consider him a point-forward, he has his moments where he's able to bring the ball up the court and throw flashy passes to teammates. This combination of size, strength, and skill is what has made him the transfer prospect that he is, and why Kentucky fans should be incredibly excited to have him.
Inside Scoring:
Williams' offensive game is limited to the interior. He doesn't really have a jumpshot, and he definitely doesn't have one from beyond the arc. He only shot three threes all year, and while he did knock one down, that's not something that you should expect to see from him. While he isn't a multiple level scorer, he's such an effective inside scorer that he somewhat makes up for a lack of scoring versatility. He's also not limited to the restricted area, as he is capable of knocking down turnaround push shots and hook shots. He's pretty efficient with these looks, giving him at least one extra scoring dimension apart from under and above the rim scoring. That's not to say that he's not elite around the rim, because he most certainly is.
His primary strength inside is, well...his strength. He's able to bully opposing defenders down low, and that starts with him simply being stronger than his opponents. Now, will that gap in strength shrink when he moves to the SEC? Yes. Do I still think he will be the strongest player on the floor in the majority of his games? Yes. I've seen a lot of discourse lately surrounding the idea that strength is an undervalued trait when evaluating players, and I strongly (no pun intended) agree. It was something that stood out to me as soon as I started watching Williams play, and it's something that I believe will translate to power five basketball, even if it's to a lesser extent.
He's also fantastic at getting into a favorable position on these looks. On that previous clip you see him seal the defender on his back before powering in. Then on this following clip you see him cut behind his defender, meaning the opponent will be on his back once he receives the pass. He knows this, and instead of immediately going up for the shot once he gets the ball, he waits to see if he can take advantage of a defender who's now desperately trying to get back in the play. This is another aspect of his inside game where strength comes into effect, as he's able to power up through the defender, get a foul, and still have a relatively easy look at the shot. He draws a ton of extra point opportunities doing this.
In the following clip you can see just how much of a heads-up thinker Williams is on these interior scoring opportunities. The defensive miscommunication after his screen is all his teammate needed to find him, but what he does once he gets the ball is what makes the play. Obviously, the spin he pulls off on the catch is impressive because he's a very big guy showing off his impressive agility. But what stands out to me is that this spin put the defender on his back. If he had just caught the ball with his back to the basket there is a chance that the opponent would have had the time to get back into the play. Instead, he makes the decisive movement, not giving the defender any time to catch up. Then he shows off his vertical pop and above the rim finishing ability, which is a theme you will get a better sense of throughout this write up.
Here's another example of Williams rolling after the screen, this time receiving the ball once he's already under the basket. I wanted to include this clip for a couple of reasons. First, I want to show off just how good his hands are. He catches this pass despite the defender putting an arm in his way, and maybe even deflecting the pass. Secondly, I wanted to display his ability to contort in the air on his inside shots. Here he takes the contact and switches shooting hands before taking the layup. The defender actually bounces off of Williams when he goes up for the contest too, just in case you weren't already convinced of how powerful of a player he is.
Now that I've covered his under the rim scoring, I want to look at some of those push/hook shots I talked about. He seemingly just takes these to switch things up every now and then. He doesn't want defenders to get used to his bully-ball playstyle, so he plugs these shots into his shot diet from time to time. Other than that, he may take these shots when a double-team is sent or if he's matched up against a more physical defender. In the following clip he takes the shot after the weak double-team is sent, but also because he knows there's another defender lurking in the paint.
Williams is actually capable of hitting these shots from pretty far away from the basket. He's not limited to the paint, which is incredibly valuable from a spacing and versatility perspective. In the following clip he rolls off of his right shoulder before going up for the shot with his left hand, which seems to be his favorite way to take these shots. I think he took this shot in this situation because he realized he had a significant height advantage over his defender but didn't have a stature advantage. The defender is broad-shouldered and has an advantage due to a lower center of gravity. Williams knew that the shot wouldn't be contested, so he didn't even bother with trying to bully his way inside.
I'm a big fan of how Williams generates his shot in the following clip. From facing up and using the shot fake, to stunting to one side before shooting on the other to throw off his defender's timing. He does the same roll over the right shoulder for the left-handed shot that we saw in the last clip, but this time he showcases more to get to that point. Big men who can generate their own shots like this are incredibly valuable and make a coach's job way easier. Not only will this translate to Kentucky, but it will also translate to professional hoops.
Speaking of generating his own shot, let's take some looks at Williams putting the ball on the floor and driving to the hoop to find his shot. Before we do that, I will say that I'm not sure how much of this he'll be asked to do in Kentucky's system, but it's nice to know he has it in his bag. Watching his tape, I was impressed to see how well he was able to impose his will when he puts the ball on the floor as far away from the basket as the perimeter.
This first play is simple. Once he sees how much space the defender is giving him, he decides to use his forward momentum to power through the defense. While he isn't going to punish you with the outside shot, defenders can't really sag off of him, because if he accelerates into you, he's going to go through you. As long as he doesn't start lowering his shoulder on these plays, not only will he make it to the basket, but the defender will pick up the foul.
He's not only able to finish these drives using his strength, but also with his skill and IQ. In the following clip you'll see him take the space created for him by one of his teammates streaking through the lane. By the time the defender that's chasing his teammate decides to turn around to help defend Williams, it's too late as he's already established his position. He lunges in the opposite direction, sending the help defender to his back, in the process faking the pass which immobilizes the third defender. Now he's in a one-on-one scenario with his back to the basket, so what does he do? You guessed it, he rolls off of his right shoulder for the lefty hook.
In the final clip of Williams creating offense on the drive, he starts the drive at the free-throw line instead of at the perimeter. This means he doesn't really have to put the ball on the floor much, instead opting to face up his defender and use a spin to get past him. It really is impressive that at his size he's able to generate such a quick first step and turn it into a move that completely disables his defender. Again, I'm not sure how much of this he'll do in a Mark Pope offense, but it's always an option if necessary.
To summarize his inside scoring game, Williams is a player capable of both bully-ball and skillful finesse. He picks and chooses how to attack the basket based on the situation he's in, and more often than not he's going to make the correct decision. He's a seasoned collegiate veteran with fantastic feel for the game who knows what to do and when to do it. No matter where the play starts, he's capable of finding his spots, whether that's via pushing through the teeth of the defense or accelerating past opponents. He's much more than just a big-bodied interior presence, and this ability to create offense inside will be a major aspect of Kentucky's offensive schemes this upcoming season.
Passing:
While I'm not sure if I would consider Williams to be an elite passing big, I would consider him to be a very smart one. I also think that his passing is going to look a lot better in a Mark Pope offense than it ever did at Drexel. Why? Because of the shooters that are going to be surrounding him. While I'm about to show you several different passing clips of him, his best passing comes on kickouts out of the post. This is perfect when surrounded by elite shooters, which Williams will be next year at Kentucky. That said, he is capable of doing more than just kicking the ball out, so let's go over some of his advanced passing acumen.
First, let's look at an example of that kick out passing that I was talking about. Nothing too much to see here apart from how Williams surveys the floor before making the pass. He's also not deep in the post here, but the same idea applies when he's closer to the basket. These are the types of passes he's going to be expected to make at Kentucky on a regular basis, which works considering he turns the ball over less on these than he does when he gets flashier.
Williams is very good at hitting teammates on the move. I'm not going to break down each of these clips separately, but they all illustrate his vision and intelligent anticipation. In one he hits a baseline cutter, in another he hits a teammate slipping a screen, and in the last he hits a teammate who slips their defender on the block. This shows three different looks at his ability to hit teammates in motion, proving that he can operate as an offensive hub if asked to do so. I'm just not sure if he'll be asked to do so very much (especially if Kentucky lands their top target, Great Osobor).
His feel for the game is unmatched by most collegiate big men. A big reason for this is that he has been in college for four years now, and he's gotten better over time. He has developed elite IQ, and that IQ is going to be enhanced when he's surrounded by the roster that's being built at Kentucky. Just in case you aren't sold on his feel for the game, I have one more assist clip that should quell your doubts.
As you can see, Amari Williams has a fantastic feel for the game, and subsequently uses that feel to find his teammates for open looks. The previous clip shows this in addition to his elite offensive rebounding abilities, but we'll talk about those in a bit.
Like I said, I don't think he'll be asked to carry the passing load that he did at Drexel once he's at Kentucky, but he's capable of doing so if necessary. I do think he will make a ton of kickouts to shooters, an aspect of his game that I think caught the attention of Mark Pope. This could also be where his driving abilities come into play, because if he can collapse the defense on his drives while maintaining the ability to hit outside threats, he will be incredibly valuable.
Offensive Rebounding & Putbacks:
Williams is a very good all-around rebounder, but it's his offensive rebounding that really stands out as an elite trait. He averaged 2.5 offensive rebounds per game this season, making up nearly a third of his total rebounds. We've covered his size and strength, but these are the tools that have allowed him to be so impactful in this area. He's excellent at boxing out, and his vertical leap and wingspan allow him to go up and grab boards over opponents. That said, a lot of times he doesn't even bother with grabbing the ball. He uses his soft touch to tap the ball back into the hoop, and he generates a decent number of points by doing so. Watch how he outworks multiple defenders in order to keep these plays alive.
These clips showcase all of the things I've talked about. His strength, as he fights for these putbacks against multiple opponents. His athleticism, as on the second clip he jumps through multiple defenders to get a hand on the ball. His touch, because you have to have great touch to do these things while in these positions. He just has all the tools necessary to be a real gamebreaking offensive rebounder, and while he'll be going up against stiffer competition at Kentucky, I like his odds to maintain this ability.
Transition:
The last aspect of his offensive game that I want to cover is his ability to move and score in transition and on fast breaks. For being as big as he is, Williams is pretty fast in the open court. He's also surprisingly quick with the ball in his hands in the open court. Combine this speed with his strength and size and you have a guy who defenders are not going to want to get in front of in transition. If they do get in his way, he's not half bad at using his footwork to create a scoring opportunity. He's far better at this than most bigs, and if this Kentucky team plans to run as much as I think they will, this ability will be very useful.
Drexel played a very fast brand of basketball this past season. They ran on offense, played disruptive defense, and shot a ton of threes. There's a reason why Williams was the first player that Pope targeted in the portal, because he's used to the playstyle that Pope intends to play. These clips of Amari getting loose in transition and easily finishing on the other end should show you just how well he's going to translate. Most big men can't move like him, and most big men are not nearly that fluid finishing around the rim at full speed. He stands out amongst his peers in this department.
Defense:
All of this talk, and we still haven't even gotten to the best part of his game. As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, Williams is a back-to-back-to-back CAA Defensive Player of the Year and for good reason. He's one of the best rim protecting bigs in the country, with perhaps the best block film of any collegiate big man I've seen. His blocks are absolutely emphatic and wildly demoralizing. On top of that, he's a good defender outside of the paint using his quickness and solid lateral movement. If he does get beat, he's going to get back into the picture for the block. He's just an absolute gamebreaker on this end of the floor.
As I said, emphatic. This isn't the craziest play in the world, but the block was too powerful to not show it off. While the actual play wasn't worth writing home, you have no idea what a block like this does to the mental standing of opposing players. I guarantee you that the guy who took that shot didn't take another one like that the rest of the game. It makes teams avoid the paint, which is where the most efficient scoring in basketball occurs. He's going to force teams to shoot and play outside, whether they like it or not.
Here are a couple of clips showcasing his ability to get back into plays for blocks. In one he's completely facing away from the basket when his opponent catches the ball under the rim. Despite that, his incredible ability to get off the floor quickly allows him to get back to deny the shot attempt. In the other he's chasing down a perimeter player before coming up with the swat. He's a super mobile defender who can make up for defensive lapses with his unique physical tools.
He's not only a big athletic shot blocker, but he also has legitimate discipline and doesn't commit many fouls. He doesn't get caught leaving his feet on shot fakes, and he doesn't go for contests that he knows he doesn't have chance on. In the following clip Williams moves under the screen, allowing his matchup to get to the basket. He loads up like he normally does when he's about to leap for the block, but he notices that the opponent is preparing to fake the shot to get him in the air. He sees this and manages to neutralize his upward momentum, staying on his feet and getting all the way back into the play. At this point he's back in perfect position, allowing him to get the block when the opponent does go up for the shot.
As I said, he's also a capable defender outside of the paint. We talked about his ability to get back into the play once he's been beat, but what about when an opponent doesn't take it inside at all? What if a defender respects his interior defense, but is willing to test him outside of the paint? Well, he's able to not only stick with players around the perimeter, but he can actually pick up blocks there as well. In the following clip, the offensive player is able to create enough space to go up for their shot. However, Williams is able to not only contest the shot, but also block the shot using his quick reflexes and impressive wingspan. He's not always going to get a hand on these shots, but you can trust him to get a solid contest on every one of them.
Williams' defensive instincts are not limited to protecting the rim. He doesn't pick up a ton of steals, but when he does, they usually result in more than just a change of possession. Why? Because almost all of his steals come via jumping passing lanes, which starts the fast break. He feels comfortable taking these risks because, as you've just seen, he knows he can get back into plays if he fails to come up with the ball. It's a risk worth taking, because when it pays off, he's usually in a position where there are free points awaiting him on the other end.
If he is challenged on the other end, it usually isn't by more than one or two defenders, and he can use his around the rim finishing skills to finish these plays. We talked about his ability to finish at full speed earlier, and this reigns true in these situations. In the following clip he actually misses the initial shot, but because there is really only one defender at the rim to contest, he easily gets his own rebound and puts it back up and in.
You're not going to see steals and fast break opportunities like this from him multiple times per game, or every game, but they do prove that he's a versatile defender and capable ball handler in the open court. Again, you don't want to put all your stock into him winning games by doing these things, but they do help you realize that he's a multi-dimensional player who can do things that other big men cannot. Even the best perimeter defending bigs don't move that fast on the fast break with the ball in their hands. Williams is a player who can turn good defense into quick offense, which bodes well for his fit in a very fast paced Kentucky offense.
Summary:
Before I summarize Amari Williams' game, I want to look at some of his weaknesses or questions I have regarding his game. As per usual, I'm not going to take a deep dive on his weaknesses in this article, but they are worth noting.
He has no real mid-range game and absolutely no outside shot. The closest thing he has to offense outside of the paint are his push/hook shots, which I would say are more post-oriented than anything.
Poor free-throw shooter, who shot only 65.5% from the line this past season on 3.4 attempts per game.
Can be turnover prone when he tries to get too flashy on his passes instead of making simple reads. He had a negative assist/turnover ratio this season at 1.9/2.4 per game.
I have questions regarding his stamina, as he didn't play a ton of minutes at Drexel. He started every game, but he only averaged 22.9 minutes per game. This was a near five-minute decrease from his junior season. Also, about every four or five games he would play incredibly limited minutes (10-16). I'm not sure if this was some form of load management, but I found it odd and slightly concerning.
With his size, strength, athleticism, and length I think he should be averaging more defensive rebounds than he did. Could this be a result of decreased minutes? Maybe. I still think that average should be closer to double digits.
He can get caught spacing out on defense from time-to-time. I have faith that this will get better as he is forced to match up against tougher opponents in the SEC.
Those are his primary weaknesses; I may not have covered all of them but those were the ones that stood out to me. Some are more concerning than others. For example, I'm not overly worried about his lack of shooting, and we covered why that is earlier in this article. I am worried about his limited usage/minutes in his final season at Drexel. Could this have been because of injury concerns? Does he have notably bad endurance? We really don't know. Finally, some of his weaknesses will be hidden by playing with better teammates at Kentucky. I think his turnovers will dip while his assists increase next season, and I don't think he struggles to stay in the game on defense next season. Those are my primary takeaways when discussing his weaknesses.
Now for the actual summary of his game. Amari Williams is an elite two-way big, something that Kentucky and Mark Pope took notice of before many other major programs. His defensive impact will translate to any level of basketball, he simply has too many tools to fail on this end of the court. Over time he has been able to pair a high-level feel for the game with these tools to further strengthen his defensive capabilities. He's not only a defensive specialist though. He has a much higher offensive IQ than most bigs that play a similar role. While his inside scoring isn't super complicated, his ability to run the offense and create opportunities for teammates is advanced for a big. He also has a very good handle for a big, especially on the move and in the open court. He creates a ton of offense in transition because he doesn't have to pass the ball off, keeping it for himself and giving the defense no time to get back. He's a powerful rebounder, who will extend a ton of offensive possessions for Kentucky. It's these traits that are going to allow him to fit seamlessly in Mark Pope's system. While he doesn't shoot the three how Pope usually likes his players to, his skills will allow his teammates to get better looks from deep. He's used to playing in a system where he does a ton of running and his teammates take a ton of threes, which is how he will be asked to play next season. These are the reasons why I am convinced that Amari Williams is the perfect five man to move Kentucky into their modern era.
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