Minnesota Timberwolves NBA Draft 2020 Prospect Profile: Patrick Williams

Patrick Williams NBA Draft 2020 Prospect Profile: Weaknesses

For as many “3-and-D” prospects as there are in this draft — including Williams’ Florida State teammate Devin Vassell, who we have already profiled — Williams isn’t a good enough of a 3-point shooter to be considered in that category.

In his only year of college, Williams made 16 of 50 3-point attempts (32 percent). It’s a small sample size, and his 83.8 percent mark from the free throw line is definitely a good sign that suggests he may continue to improve his shooting from the field.

Williams’ form is solid, and given his size there is little concern that he’ll be able to get his shot off at the NBA level. But his release is a bit slow, and if he’s primarily in catch-and-shoot situations he’ll need to work on speeding it up.

While Williams is a fantastic team defender and solid shot blocker, there are some concerns with his ability to move laterally to guard athletic opposing players. It’s one of the reasons he may profile better at the 4-spot moving forward than as a 3.

Still, his overall athleticism and size allow him to recover fairly quickly, and there’s hope that he’ll continue to improve on that end of the floor. Remember, he plays hard, and that matters a lot when it comes to defense at the next level.

He also had some issues with turnovers, although it was more due to sloppy footwork than poor decision-making, and that’s something that an NBA coaching staff should be able to work with him on.

Now, on to his fit with the Timberwolves.