Patrick Williams is a 6’8 225 pound Small Forward from Florida State University and like his teammate Devin Vassell, Patrick can ball as well. His one and only season at FSU wasn’t too flashy on paper but this kid can be much more than what his stats show. Patrick averaged 9.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1 BPG, and 1 SPG, on 46% shooting from the field and 32% from deep. As of July 7th, Patrick is projected anywhere in the late teens to late twenties in this year’s draft, he’ll get drafted to wherever a team thinks he fits best.
Strengths: Firstly I’ll start off with FSU having produced so many players that are NBA ready like Jonathan Issac, Malik Beasley, Dwayne Bacon, and Devin Vassell. Coach Leonard Hamilton might not be the greatest coach at winning the big games but sure does know how to get kids ready for the next level very fast. Patrick has a very high IQ on the defensive side of the ball and knows when to rotate and reads off the ball very easily. Patrick often got matched up against the bigger wings and forwards because of his size and his potential shot blocking with his nearly 7 foot wingspan. But one trait on defense you can’t teach is his hustle and effort to try and make a play everytime, Patrick is one of those guys that believes defense turns into offense. Coaches always tell you to put more effort on defense because it will make offense that much easier and Patrick clearly has that trait. Patrick is very good at cleaning the boards on the offensive side and his consistent effort makes him effective at snagging those boards. Very good size for his position and won’t get bullied at the next level. Patrick’s form is very solid and has potential but he needs to settle for more C&S. When Patrick does dribble he knows the spot he wants to get to and uses his dribbles wisely. Comfortable in the high spot and likes to face up and can become someone who can do that at the next level. Very solid footwork on offense and with his fluid mid range jumper, Patrick can be a very solid player in the league. The scary thing about Patrick is his potential to be a secondary ball handler because he’s a nice playmaker out of the PnR and has a nice ability to dribble downhill and bully ball kids.
Weaknesses: Patrick’s weaknesses are really noticeable and are probably the main reason he’s very low on boards right now but sky’s the limit for any kid in this draft. Patrick with his big body does lack speed and lateral quickness to guard SG’s and faster and smaller SF’s. Has a bad tendency to gamble on steals and that usually puts him into a bad position to continue the play. He can “overhelp” and leave the guy in the corner wide open for an easy shot but those long between for Patrick. Patrick isn’t the greatest finisher but he’s decent but needs to be able to with his body type and needs to capitalize on his size like a lot of other NBA players do like Zion, LeBron, all these big guys for their position.
Verdict: Patrick’s current NBA comparison is Eric Paschall in my opinion. Patrick will be able to fit on any NBA bench but will he be able to fit on a NBA teams starting lineup? That’s my main concern with picking Patrick is where does he fit and what’s his role. For him to be successful he needs a C&S game and he needs to figure out how to use his body because I don’t think he realizes how much of an advantage he has with his body.
TheDyspatch 