Gonzaga Basketball: What the addition of Brandon Williams would mean for the Bulldogs

Mark Few and Gonzaga will be hosting a top-40 recruit for the class 2018 in Brandon Williams. What would he bring to the Bulldogs if he commits?

There are just a few players left that are considered game changers from the 2018 college basketball recruiting class. One of them is Brandon Williams, a point guard out of Encino, California. According to 247SportsComposite, he’s considered the 31st ranked prospect, as well as the seventh-best ball handler.

This weekend, Williams will be going to Spokane to have an official visit with the Gonzaga Bulldogs, one of three finalists for his services. The other two are the Oregon Ducks, as well as the Arizona Wildcats – whom he had already committed to earlier.

The Bulldogs haven’t had a player of his caliber come to the program since Zach Collins, who became and “one and done” after helping the team reach their first-ever national title game. Fans will hope that Williams will have a similar kind of effect.

But what exactly does he bring to Gonzaga should he commit? With both Rui Hachimura and Killian Tillie electing to return, the team will be preseason top-10 and already have Final Four aspirations. There doesn’t seem on paper to be many issues for the 2018-19 ballclub. However, there is one flaw that Williams would cover up very nicely.

Last season, Gonzaga had just one point guard in the team’s main rotation in junior Josh Perkins. Freshman Jesse Wade was available, but a shoulder injury combined with him not playing competitive basketball for two years (Mormon Mission) made him not a true option for Few and company. Silas Melson and Zach Norvell were the backups when Perkins wasn’t on the court, but neither could facilitate the offense in a way a true point guard would.

That’s where Williams would come in, as he would be that much-needed second ball handler for the Bulldogs. He could reasonably start as well along side Perkins, with Norvell, Hachimura and Tillie rounding out this hypothetical starting lineup. Their athleticsm by itself would overwhelm the rest of the WCC.

The last time Gonzaga rolled out a two-point guard lineup, it was just a couple of years ago. Perkins slid over to the off-guard, while Washington transfer Nigel Williams-Goss handled the primary ball handling duties when on the court. It was an outstanding fit, thanks in part to Perkins shooting the three-point ball at over a 40% clip. The pick and roll schemes that Gonzaga uses also works best when multiple point guards are on the court.

While it’s uncertain as to how good future freshman Williams is when it comes to shooting the ball himself, he should be more than capable at bringing the ball up the court and running plays while Perkins remains a threat when it comes to the long ball. He also can give the incoming senior guard a legit rest without the offense struggling as a result.

Next: Ranking the teams in play for Brandon Williams

Just like last season, Gonzaga still only has one true point guard on the current roster for 2018-19. Both Wade and redshirt freshman Joel Ayayi are more of a combo guard than a pure facilitator. Bringing in Williams would change that, and eliminate the one weakness the Bulldogs could be exploited in. Getting him will be another step to the program getting the “elite” status in all of college basketball.