Hidden Gems: Vince Williams Jr. Carries Intriguing Two-Way Ability

Though the Oklahoma City Thunder conclude their draft haul at Pick No. 34, there’s always value in assessing all areas of the draft board.

VCU wing Vince Williams creates some buzz as a 3&D option that could slide into the second round.

As a two-time Atlantic-10 All-Conference honoree, Williams played four seasons at VCU. This season, he earned First-Team A-10 honors averaging 14.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.

Williams has greatly improved on the offensive front. As an underclassman, Williams struggled to get much going on the offensive end, shooting well in the 20s from distance. For the past two seasons, he’s been one of the Rams’ top three-point pieces. This season he posted a 38.7-clip from deep on 5.6 tries per game. These makes came off his fluid left-handed jumper off-the-catch and coming off screens. Even on the interior, he’s polished as a prospect as he’s able to absorb hits finishing around the cup.

Defensively, Williams carries a lot of tools to be successful at the next level. He has incredible length, possessing a wingspan (7’0”) seven inches greater than his height (6’5”). Due to this, he’s able to get involved against 2-4s for steals and blocks alike. In terms of mobility, Williams is not the fastest man on the floor. But his disciplined footwork and sneaky athletic ability allow him to take defenders at the perimeter and add suitable rim protection on close-outs and chasedowns.

As of now, Williams is regarded as a second-round pick, with some believing he’ll be undrafted in the upcoming draft. Respectfully, I think his current skill set makes him a player who could be in play as early as the 30s, depending on the situation.

Despite a full four seasons at VCU, Williams is only 21 years old. He’ll be looked at heavily by teams looking to add a glue guy for their roster as he’s proved his worth on both ends of the floor. Based on this, he’s a player who could be netting second-string minutes with good teams – even if taken late in this draft.