Jaylin Williams: 2022 NBA Draft Scouting Report
A unique big man prospect, Williams combines high feel with defensive productivity. Will that be enough to propel him to success despite an unconventional skill set?
Arkansas big man Jaylin Williams is the perfect storm and intersection of so many fascinating trends in draft scouting. A great positional rebounder and undersized post, Williams helped lead the Arkansas Razorbacks to the Elite 8 this season, a run only possible due to his impact and unique combination of skills. His impact was felt throughout the year in numerous ways.
There’s a growing trend — driven by the positive success rate in the past — of taking risks on high-feel bigger bodies. There’s something to be said for having size and the three mainstay skills in basketball: pass, dribble and shoot. Williams checks those boxes. A 7’1” wingspan, he can rebound-and-run a bit, is a productive passer (2.6 assists per game) and takes jumpers like he can make them. The impact of all of those traits is somewhat minimal, but the comfort level Jaylin exudes in those situations give hope.
He’s a productive defender. An All-Defensive First-Team member for the SEC, Williams combines a high stocks rate (steals and blocks) to find productivity. He’s also the premier charge-drawer in the game. His impact is clearly felt, but not in ways that give a direct translation to the NBA.
Williams is not an elite athlete. He’s long and instinctual, but he doesn’t have great vertical leaping or lateral ground coverage. What scheme does or should he defend in at the next level? He’s not a great enough shot blocker or imposing athlete to meet NBA drivers at the rim. He’s not a quick enough athlete to switch onto the best wings, either. Jaylin is another test of a growing point of discourse in draft coverage: is he multi-positional due to his size/ skill combinations, or is he a tweener? Some can watch him play and see another version of Al Horford. Others can seriously wonder how he’ll last at either the forward or the post spot.
For what it’s worth, Arkansas played him in Drop coverage, and he showed a mastery of angles and had great instincts to limit space. Sure, he wasn’t meeting guys at the hoop or covering ground, but his positioning and placement were polished beyond his years.
That leads us to another buzz-worthy point. Williams, just finishing his sophomore year at Arkansas, will turn 20 on draft night. He’s still relatively young for this draft class, and many will equate that with untapped potential.
Young but polished. Long but unathletic. Big and skilled, but not necessarily in functional ways. Williams is an acquired taste. He finds ways to be impactful and make winning plays, an attractive enough sign that he should hear his name called on draft night.
Where do we land on Jaylin? We certainly don’t have a first round grade on him. The athleticism and lack of shooting are a tough combination for a big man to overcome, and we don’t buy into the lateral quickness (or his on-ball habits) to turn him into a switchable forward. We hate betting against skilled guys because they often can prove us wrong fairly quickly, but there are enough question marks around the functionality of his skill package that we’re comfortable being out on him.