NBA Comparison: Justin Anderson

Strengths: A 6’5 210 perimeter wing player who offers good physical ability and athleticism … Possesses a strong, sturdy build and has experience playing all along the perimeter in different roles, making him an intriguing prospect in terms of his positional projections … Enjoyed a breakout season this past year at Wake Forest (18.5 ppg and 5.2 apg); was allowed to run the team as the primary playmaker on offense and largely excelled … Proved to be a handful for college guards to contain in the uptempo Demon Deacons offense; steamrolling smaller players on his way to the paint in the open court with his very good size and strength combination but also showing unselfishness and floor vision to drop dimes to his teammates running the floor … Can thread the needle and make plays with good timing … Good at misdirecting the defense through live dribble penetration or look off passes. He made a number of impressive crosscourt feeds to the open man when the defense was tilted or players were out of position … Decent ball-handler who showed the ability to lull defenders with hesitation moves, and has enough strength and 1st step quickness to kept his man on his hip and absorb contact … Solid leaping skills and can play above the rim in transition and when he has daylight in the halfcourt … Shot 50% from the field as a Sr., including an outstanding 60% on shots inside the arc, illustrating his strength and finishing ability at the college level … Reads the floor and will make well-timed backdoor cuts when off the ball … Not afraid of physical play at the point of attack on both ends of the court … Can post up smaller guards with some success … Has the size, strength and toughness needed to be a good on-ball defender on the perimeter, particularly against SGs and some SF’s … Has experience defending PG-PF at the college level … Averaged 6.4 rpg as a Sr., and liked to get out in transition after missed shots … Despite his obvious struggles as a shooter, his 84% from the FT line in his final season at Oklahoma (granted on 31 shots) is cause for optimism …

Weaknesses: Does not project to play the ball-dominant role he did at Wake Forest in the NBA; more likely to play a role similar to the one he played during his 2 seasons at Oklahoma, where his production was modest … Not a reliable jump shooter (28% 3FG as a Sr, and 27% for his career), and it would be tough to justify him being the primary ball-handler on an NBA team when he poses little threat to hit shots when teams hide underneath screens … Has inconsistent shot mechanics and rigid footwork … Really struggles with shooting off the dribble, offers little in the way of a mid-range game … Developing a floater wouldn’t hurt … More of a straight-line athlete than a fluid mover, and usually needs a running start to keep defenses off kilter as a slasher … Average fluidity can also show when he has to defend quicker PGs, where he was not great at containing dribble penetration in space … Not a natural scorer; loses effectiveness in that regard when he can’t just simply collapse the paint and has to create his own shots on the perimeter … Not exactly a pure playmaker either; with a middling understanding of dictating the pace of the game and a tendency to force action in half court offense (3.6 topg as a Sr.) … Can bully smaller guards, but is much less imposing when playing off the ball and on the wing … A bit of a one-year wonder; some may consider his production and role in Wake’s offense “gimmicky” given the teams style of play and his absurd usage rates as a Sr … Will be 23 years old on draft night, bringing obvious concerns about his upside (especially with improving his jumper) …

Overall: Alondes Williams emergence from collegiate role player to draft prospect seemingly happened overnight  … He signed to Oklahoma in 2019 as a touted JC prospect and turned in 2 seasons with Oklahoma as a part-time starter and defensive-minded role player and slasher … He then transferred to Wake as a 5th year Sr and became the ACC Player of the Year, leading the Demon Deacons in points, boards and assists (!) and nearly making the NCAA tournament after Coach Forbes switched him from a SG/SF role to the teams PG … He showed excellent passing skills and used his size and strength to his advantage on both ends, leading to excellent production and a fun-to-watch play style … Still, his lack of a jump shot is cause for concern and jeopardizes his projection as a lead guard at the NBA level, as does his developing feel for actually being a floor general … He also is an older prospect, which casts doubt on how much he’s going to improve…Still, he has the physical tools and mentality to find a role at the NBA level on the perimeter, particularly as a defender, and he will be given chances to make a roster and could even hear his name called on draft night …

Notes: Measured: 6’3.75” barefoot, 6’5.0” in shoes, 8’6.0” standing reach, 209 lbs, and a 6’7.0” wingspan at the 2022 NBA Draft Combine …

Jorrye Nixon 5/25/22