Coming into Maryland’s nationally known basketball program, power forward and center Jordan Williams was one of the lesser known recruits in America. Actually James Padgett, a teammate of Williams, was a more coveted recruit coming out of the high school powerhouse, Lincoln high school in New York’s Coney Island. Two years later, there are now talks of Jordan Williams entering the NBA draft after only his sophomore year, leaving a gaping hole in the Terp’s tournament future. Terp fans are upset by this, and will tell you why this is a mistake. Now, we cannot fault Williams for his decision. The NBA leads to a life of wealth and stardom from only playing the simple game of basketball, and it is Jordan’s decision as to if he feels his dream can come true this year. However, this is not the way Terp fans see it. Having the privilege of watching Williams grow as one of the nation’s most dominant big men over the last 2 seasons, we are all aware of the great potential he has. Now is not the time though. While Williams may do good things in college, the NBA is a totally different story. These are world class athletes that can do it all, and if you have watched Jordan Williams closely, you have seen he is not a world class athlete.
In order to be a big man in the NBA, you must be able to do multiple things than just being a big body down low; much like Williams is in college basketball. You have to be able to shoot the ball from 15 feet, you have to be able to have a vast variety of basketball moves, you have to be a good foul shooter because of all the contact you will receive down low, and you have to be able to run the floor at a fast pace throughout the entire game. If you have paid close attention to Williams, you have noticed that even though he is a good player, he does not possess any of the qualities stated above. He rarely makes or even attempts a jump shot. He rarely uses anything other than his sheer size to get to the basket. He rarely makes his free throws, and he rarely is able to run the court at a fast pace on a consistent basis. This is not saying he won’t one day be able to do these things, but right now is not the time where he is ready for the NBA. Jordan has a chance to be a great pro player, but that is in the future, not right now. If you told me Jordan Williams would be a first round draft pick after his senior season, I would agree. If you said he would be a first round draft pick after this year, I would be skeptical. Williams will get manhandled in the NBA by some of the big men he would go up against. In my opinion, he should stay here at Maryland where things are looking to only get better with this program and strive for a long run in the NCAA tournament. Leaving for the NBA now will only lead to a career of mediocrity, much like former Terp John Gilchrist did.
I have watched a few videos of Jordan Williams' gameplay. This is a problem. This is not just one of those NBA players that is an underdog and makes a big contribution to the team all the time. He really needs to improve. Either this was indeed a big mistake, or he needs to train a lot more to get to the point that he should be at. For the professional level of basketball, they should not choose people who have potential, but people who actually show great skill and performance. It is the professional level, it is not worth the gamble.
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