Our latest look at the growing 2020 NBA Draft class revolves around Florida State freshman forward Patrick Williams, and examining his potential fit within the Milwaukee Bucks’ system.
Standing as one of the youngest prospects to declare for this 2020 NBA Draft, Patrick Williams is currently projected just outside of the lottery and certainly within range of where the Milwaukee Bucks are standing in the first round.
A five-star recruit coming out of Charlotte, Williams took a different recruiting route than most high-profile prospects as he eschewed offers from traditional powerhouses such as Arizona, Louisville and Virginia, or staying near Charlotte, in favor of playing for Florida State.
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What’s more is that Williams didn’t exactly play a role befitting of a draft prospect that is firmly viewed as a mid-first round pick.
However, that didn’t stop Williams from being named ACC Sixth Man of the Year on a Seminoles team that stood atop the conference before the coronavirus pandemic shuttered this college season, and most leagues around the world.
But as Williams told Curt Weiler of the Tennessee Democrat earlier this year, how head coach Leonard Hamilton and his staff viewed his defensive potential is what separated the school from how other programs wanted to utilize the 18-year-old:
"“A lot of schools during my recruitment, they talked about offense, what I can do on offense. Florida State was different. (FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton) and the rest of the coaching staff as well as the players while I was getting recruited, they were talking to me about defense,” Williams said. “I feel like that really stood out to me. Everybody can play offense, but it’s only a select few guys who can really lock up defensively…Coming here, defense was my mindset, what I wanted to grow at.”"
In his 29 appearances with the Seminoles, Williams averaged 9.2 points on a .459/.320/.838 slash line, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, a steal and a block across 22.5 minutes per contest.
So without further ado, let’s dive into the strengths and weaknesses of Patrick Williams’ game, where draft experts currently rate him and dive into his potential fit with the Milwaukee Bucks.