Atlanta Hawks Draft Preview: Jalen Williams

Jalen Williams

Height: 6’6”

Weight: 190

Age: 21

Position: Shooting Guard

Class: Junior

School: Santa Clara

One of the biggest goals for the Atlanta Hawks this offseason should be to provide a strong two-way guard alongside Trae Young. Although Jalen Williams is by no means the best defensive-oriented guard in this draft class, his offensive game would provide an uplifting presence for a team that was too dependent on Young last season.

Over his three seasons at Santa Clara, Williams improved significantly every year as he continued to build on the skillset he had formed from high school and throughout college. Prior to being the 6’6” player he is today, Williams was only 5’11” during his junior year in high school before shooting up to 6’3” as a senior. As a result of his experience running an offense as a point guard, Williams has become a talented combo-guard that also brings sharp passing skills and a good feel for how to space the floor.

Should Ochai Agbaji, Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham, and Tari Eason all be off the board come the 16^th overall pick, the Hawks should definitely consider going after the exciting, underrated prospect in Williams, and here’s a deeper dive into why they can’t go wrong with doing so.

Last season, there were a lot of college players that took big strides with their growth. But to the extent of what Williams was able to muster, there are really not many that can boast the level of improvement he was able to achieve in his junior year. Following a solid sophomore season where he averaged 11.5 points on 39.9% shooting from the field and 27.4% from behind the arc to go with 2.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds, Williams had himself a breakout season for the ages just a year later.

Scoring 18.0 points per game with a 51.3 field goal percentage and a 39.6 3PT percentage to show for it (he was shooting 27.4% as a sophomore), Williams also gathered an average of 4.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds in all 33 games he started. His level of efficiency and execution skyrocketed to another level as he grew more aware of his spots and fine-tuned his shot-creation ability using his clean handles. To add to it, his feel and understanding of when to pursue a shot or pass to his teammates improved immensely as he grew into the playmaking potential he has.

This past season, Williams recorded two double-doubles. His first was against SMC, where he logged in 18 points on 70% shooting from the field with 10 assists, two rebounds, and four steals. His second came against WSU in his final game of the season, where he scored 19 points and gathered 15 rebounds, four assists, and two steals. From his physicality, strength, size, balance, and body control, there’s a reason why Williams has become such an appealing first-round choice in this year’s draft, and the Hawks shouldn’t’ sleep on selecting him if the situation arises.

Unfortunately, defense isn’t really Williams’ strength, and because of such, it makes him a fringe two-way player. He can be a little too ball-oriented when he defends and, at times, too lackluster when staying in front of his opponents.

But the good news is that Williams has only gotten better defensively since his freshman year at Santa Clara. With a big 7’0” wingspan and sharp quickness for a guard his size, Williams is great at slowing down his opponents while using his smarts to break up passes and contest shots. His continuous growth in athleticism and strength has only made him more difficult to blow by, especially with the agility he possesses.

Despite his ongoing growth and development in so many areas year-after-year at Santa Clara, Williams tallied over a steal per game in each of his three seasons. Consistency will be key for Williams to take his defense to the next level in the NBA. But the potential is there, and with his work ethic, he could become the two-way guard the Hawks have been searching for.

When it comes to upside and NBA potential, Williams does check off a handful of boxes. The first is his overall size, strength, and athleticism for the guard position which allows him to be a versatile offensive weapon, whether he plays at the one or the two.

In addition, Williams turned 21 years old this year and logged in three seasons worth of experience at Santa Clara. Over his time there, he really elevated his game and developed a complete and diverse skillset. Though his improvement patterns weren’t always that consistent, Williams illustrated that he can get better and better each season on both sides of the ball. That potential and promise is invaluable to have in the NBA, making him a solid choice in the long hall.

Aside from his inconsistent presence defensively (which we touched upon), the key concerns for Williams are really two-fold. The first comes down to Williams letting his creativity get the best of him at times, leading him to pull off fancy shot-creation attempts that are a little audacious and out of his reach.

The second comes down to turnovers. From his freshman to junior year, Williams averaged a higher and higher turnover rate, first starting with 1.1 per game before finishing his junior year with 2.1 per game. And seeing the NBA is just that much more talented defensively, this could be a concerning trend teams might veer away from.