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NCAA Basketball: Important to be patient with five-star prospect Mikey Williams

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 21: A general view of the March Madness logo on center court is seen before the game between the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles and the Florida Gators in the second round game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on March 21, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 21: A general view of the March Madness logo on center court is seen before the game between the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles and the Florida Gators in the second round game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on March 21, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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Mikey Williams NCAA Basketball (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
Mikey Williams NCAA Basketball (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

Mikey Williams has all of the tools to be a good defender

On the defensive end of the floor, Williams is often labeled as “undisciplined” and honestly there is some truth to that. Most individuals are aware that he is an explosive athlete who can really show off his effortless leaping ability when he can get out and run. It’s not necessarily impossible, but it is very difficult to get ahead of defenses after made baskets (unless no one commits to sprinting back regularly), and I think that Williams’ poor habit of reaching and taking excessive gambles proves that he comprehends that concept.

To put it simply, Williams is a little too concerned with trying to poke the ball away from his opponents from behind and pick off many passes that come his way, so that he can showcase his ability to throw down vicious windmill and tomahawk dunks on the other end. Does it work sometimes? Of course, and when it does there is less of a need to comment on his lackadaisical defensive effort. When it doesn’t work, however, many are left pondering if Williams has what it takes to stay in front of some of the quicker/shiftier guards in the country and be a reliable off-ball defender.

Without any hesitation whatsoever, I can say that Williams can do both of those things when he returns to the basics and doesn’t think about what he could do on the offensive end while he is playing defense. Simply keeping a hand up as his opponents are operating on the perimeter, and not allowing himself to get overly handsy with them as they are taking off toward the basket (so that he doesn’t get whistled for cheap fouls) helps Williams bait his opponents into taking ill-advised shots from time to time.

Additionally, his natural athleticism also allows him to recover quickly when he does get beat by nifty crossovers and make a noticeable impact on any given defensive possession. As it relates to Williams’ off-ball defense, well, he has shown that he can stay solid when there is a pass that he physically won’t be able to steal (which is a great sign), but he will need to continue to get better at understanding when it’s acceptable to take a risk and when it isn’t.

Williams has a long way to go before he can call himself an above-average on- and off-ball defender, but the fact that he has shown glimpses of what he can do defensively should be more than enough for you at the moment.

At the end of the day, Williams is just a rising junior and has plenty of time to develop into a player that is ready to hit the ground running at either the collegiate or professional level (depending on which one he chooses to advance to after high school). It’s also important to remember that there is a reason why Williams is the 7th ranked prospect in the ESPN Top 60 and one of the most popular players in the country.

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The kid can take over ball games in a hurry, use his strong body to help him get clean looks at the rim, and is a legitimate lob threat in transition and in the half-court at just 6’3”, thanks to his incredible athleticism. Once he adds that consistency element to his game on both ends of the floor he will reach new heights as a player, so please do yourself a favor and stay patient until that finally occurs.