The 2022 ACC Player of the Year, Alondes Williams might have been the best transfer in all of college basketball this season. As a fifth year senior, Williams averaged 18.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG, and 3.6 TOPG on shooting splits of 51/28/69. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Alondes Williams
Height/Weight: 6’5/209
Wingspan/ standing reach: 6’7 / 8’6
Hand size: 9 ¼
Position: SG
Pre-Draft team: Wake Forest
Tools: Slashing, playmaking, athleticism
Pros:
- Good scorer off the dribble
- Plays the passing lanes well
- Plus athlete
- Good rebounder
- Quick first step
- Good vision and can play both guard slots
- Comfortable with both hands
- Does a good job putting effort into contesting shot attempts at all levels
- Clever & creative passer
- Tight handle with tons of moves in his bag
- Lethal spin move
- Good finisher at the rim
- Finishes well through contact
Cons:
- Feet are very close together on jump shots; hitch in jumper base
- Needs to be more consistent from 3
- Needs to reduce turnovers
- Teams find his character to have alarming traits
- Will be 23 on draft night
- Must improve defensive discipline; ball watches often
- Needs a more reliable floater/runner
- Mediocre/underwhelming frame
Summary
Alondes Williams is a clever passer with the ability to defend and get to the rim with his plus athleticism.
As a passer, Alondes Williams puts incredible speed on his passes, and has an elite ability to find cutters and shooters, no matter where they are in relation to each other on the court. Because of this, Alondes Williams has a strong case at taking the crown for best passer in the 2022 NBA Draft, despite his turnovers. Many of Williams’ turnovers at Wake Forest came against traps (especially full-court traps) and underthrowing full-court passes. While those circumstances won’t often present themselves in the NBA, he will need to learn when and how to take such risks, instead of being so free in doing so like he did at Wake Forest.
Defensively, Williams has good athleticism to thrive in the NBA. However, with often poor discipline and a mild wingspan, his impact defensively may not be strong. He doesn’t generate a ton of turnovers, despite playing the passing lanes well (he ball watches often and gets burned easily) which would be needed given those aforementioned traits.
As a scorer, Williams has a variety of moves to get to his spots. Williams possesses a quick first step and a variety of counters to tight defenses, including a lethal spin dribble, plus comfort with both hands as a ball-handler and a finisher. Williams can get through tight spots with ease, and even when he meets a strong defender, he still finds ways to score through contact.
Ultimately, Williams’ lack of shooting, both on the eye test and statistically, will be the potential fatal flaw in Williams’ NBA success. With poor footwork and a light hitch, plus an overall inconsistency from 3, Williams may struggle to grow as a shooter at 23 in his rookie year.
One thing to monitor with Williams from an intel perspective: At the NBA Draft combine, Williams wore a Pablo Escobar shirt around, and it may have left a bad look in some team personnels’ eyes. To you or me this may not mean much, but when an NBA team is hyper-analyzing everything a player is doing, this may be a character flag for NBA teams.
Similar to: Elijah Hughes, Lance Stephenson
Projected draft range: 40-undrafted
Expected role: Combo guard with athleticism to be a slasher and good defender, plus great passing ability with good vision.
Unplayable if: Lack of jump shooting limits his effectiveness in the NBA in a well-space court, plus turnovers and frame limit his effectiveness as a passer and defender, respectively.
Exceeds expectations if: Passing translates, jump shot is respectable enough, and defense translates despite his mediocre frame.
Videos:
Shot chart:
