Thunder Prospect Evaluation: Kenrich Williams
After a fairly rough start to his NBA career, Kenrich Williams made a huge leap in his first season with the Thunder. At age 26, he’s a late bloomer but is starting to solidify himself as an excellent role player in the NBA.
On a rebuilding Thunder team, Williams gained the confidence needed to grow as a player. In fact, his increase in productivity last season was as good as almost any player in the entire NBA.
A versatile 6-foot-6 wing, Williams can truly do a little bit of everything for Oklahoma City. With how good he looked last season, expectations will be fairly high for the 2021-22 season.
As each player in this series is evaluated, it’s important to consider the prospect they are now, but more importantly how they could look in five years when the Thunder are a competitive playoff team once again.
Last Season’s Numbers
Williams had a late start to his NBA career, entering the league at age 24. As such, the undrafted forward took some time to get acquainted and established as a player.
In his third NBA season, he really came into his own with the Thunder last season. While his minutes didn’t really jump from the season prior, his efficiency and production did.
Williams increased his scoring from 3.5 points to 8.0 points per game year-over-year and did it on much better splits. His shooting increased from 34.7 percent from the floor and 25.8 percent from deep in the 2019-20 season to 53.3 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc in the 2020-22 season.
For the first time in his NBA career, Williams made a real impact on winning for his team.
Fit On Current Roster
Williams started in 13 games last season in Oklahoma City and did a great job when asked to step into that role. With that in mind, it shouldn’t be expected to see him start many games in the upcoming season.
With the Thunder adding quite a bit of young wing talent in the offseason, his playing time shouldn’t increase much. However, his leadership and on-court attributes will be things he can teach to the young guys.
Known for being a hustler, hence his nickname Kenny Hustle, Williams naturally finds himself in the right place at the right time. One of the most well-respected players on the entire OKC roster, he’ll have a key role on and off the court.
Williams is definitely a role player for the Thunder in the upcoming season, but could be a solid trade chip.
Long-Term Fit
When he started the 2020-21 season, Williams had zero expectations. As just an extra body, he was signed to a mostly non-guaranteed contract.
Now, not even a year later, he’s a player that’s valued highly by the Thunder and attractive to other teams around the league. Due to this, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Williams traded in the next couple of years. On a cheap, team-friendly deal, he does a lot of things contenders need to win.
A player that does everything right, Williams is the ultimate role player. He’ll be 27 years old in the upcoming season, but might not fit in OKC long-term. They’re still quite a few years from contending, while Williams would fit best on a win-now team.
Prospect Grade
C+
Williams is a player who’s ready to help a team win now. Especially being a late bloomer, he’s likely already getting fairly close to his ceiling as an NBA player.
With that in mind, he isn’t a top prospect on the Thunder roster. However, if he’s able to make another jump this season, that narrative could change.
Overall, Williams certainly isn’t a piece of the long-term core, but is an important piece in the meantime.
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