With the domination of centers in the NBA, most teams need an elite big man. In an NBA draft that has several dominating centers over seven feet tall, Kentucky’s Amari Williams breaks the mould. His size combines with elite vision and athleticism to set him apart from other bigger prospects. However, do his differences from players like Duke’s Khaman Maluach and Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud lower his draft stock or provide a good change of pace?

Amari Williams 2025 NBA Draft Profile
Feb 22, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Amari Williams (22) shoots against Alabama Crimson Tide center Clifford Omoruyi (11) during the second half at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images
College Career

Williams began his career at Drexel, where he struggled to find playing time early. Despite this, he worked hard and gained meaningful minutes in his sophomore year, blossoming into a star for the Dragons his final two seasons in Philadelphia. He averaged 13.7 points per game as a junior to go along with 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.2 blocks. His stat-stuffing style shifted to his senior year, where he averaged 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.8 blocks in fewer minutes per game. Despite this, Williams wasn’t receiving much draft hype, so he opted to take a payday and transfer to Kentucky.

At Kentucky, his draft stock improved dramatically. His scoring took a slight dip to 10.9 points per game, but he found his rebounding again in a strong SEC, averaging 8.5 rebounds per game. His defensive stats took a hit, but the SEC is a much better conference than the CAA. The most pivotal part of his improvement came in his passing, where he averaged 3.2 assists per game. Kentucky had a strong season in the stacked conference, earning a three seed in the NCAA tournament before being knocked out by their bitter rivals, Tennessee. Williams finished his career averaging 10.4 points per game on 52.9% shooting, also averaging 7.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.6 blocks.

Strengths

Williams is an elite passer. His ability to find open shooters from the post diminishes the effectiveness of double teams. He can bring the ball up the court and thread the needle on backdoor passes. His cross-court vision is some of the best in the draft, regardless of the position. In the NBA, Williams could make an immediate impact as a role player because of his ability to facilitate an offense that finished 10th in offensive efficiency.

His rebounding stems from his elite athleticism. He is fast and strong, but he also thrives using his elite vertical and reach. Williams may be the most athletic big man in this NBA Draft class. Without obstacles, he can beat a guard down the floor while dribbling the ball. Whether it be on the offensive or defensive end, Williams gets his share of rebounds. Williams finds the correct position and uses it, whether he is rebounding or setting a screen. He is constantly making a difference on the floor.

Williams is also a good defender. While he shouldn’t cover a smaller player for an entire game, he has the athleticism to switch onto guards on the perimeter occasionally with little trouble. Inside, he impedes a lot of shots at the rim and routinely racks up multiple blocks in a game. His size and length allow him to make up space on the defensive end very quickly.

Weaknesses

Unfortunately, scoring is a huge weakness for Williams. He made only nine threes in his entire five-year career. If he isn’t at the rim, he isn’t going to make shots at a high rate. Some players in the NBA have similar struggles, but they usually finish better at the rim. Williams is efficient at the rim, but he frequently misses routine layups that he should make. In the NBA, those shots will be even more contested. He shot just 56.1% from the floor while only taking shots around the rim: that’s a huge weakness.

Williams also struggles in some less obvious ways. He only averaged around 22 minutes per game each of his last two seasons. Even in those minutes, there were times when his effort didn’t show through. Sometimes, his effort was through the roof, but NBA teams would love to see that effort continue throughout the entirety of his minutes, especially when he only plays about half the game.

NBA Comparison

It’s hard to bring in an exact comparison because of his incredible passing. However, if he continues to improve beyond the NBA Draft, Williams could become a player like Isaiah Hartenstein. I think the scoring style and rebounding translate well, along with overall defensive impact. However, Williams will likely average lower scoring totals, but higher assists and blocks totals. Williams is a better perimeter defender, but lacks the same effort at times as Hartenstein. Overall, this is a good comparison for Williams if he makes an impact at the next level.

2025 NBA Draft Prediction

If Williams is selected, he will be a late second-round pick in the NBA Draft. However, there is about a decent chance his name isn’t called, giving him to leeway to pick the perfect system for himself to develop in.

 

Featured image: © Jordan Prather-Imagn Images