Late-Round Looks: Alondes Williams
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.
Wake Forest guard Alondes Williams carries some late-round value as a playmaking combo guard.
After two seasons at Oklahoma, Williams emerged as a top transfer this season – clocking averages of 18.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists for Wake Forest.
On the offensive side of the ball, Williams has the tools as a passer right off the bat. Operating in transition, he does an excellent job finding his teammates for live-dribble bounce passes and alley-oop passes. In the halfcourt, he’s able to read all facets of the floor, anticipating motions and cuts towards the basket, and launch skip passes right on the money. Williams is a sneaky threat in the lane as well as he does a solid job on backdoor cuts and dunks, both on and off the ball.
Williams is a mature product on the offensive end, however, his career 27.0% output from distance is something that he will need to improve upon.
Defensively, Williams plays a few sizes up from his 6-foot-4 frame. With a 6-foot-7 wingspan, he’s able to utilize his length to take on small forwards in stints – a feat not expected of his positional group. He needs to work on his defensive stance, particularly when his defender initially gets the ball as he’s prone to allow straight-line drives to the basket.
The Oklahoma City Thunder might not be the best landing spot for Alondes Williams given their ample amounts of backcourt play. However, he is a solid get for playoff teams looking to have a cushion at the guard positions. He’s an older prospect, turning 23 this month. But, there is a clear role for him as a playmaker given he fine tunes his shot.
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