FSU basketball: Reaction to Patrick Williams declaring for NBA Draft
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU basketball is losing one of its top players in Patrick Williams. FSU fans react to him declaring for the NBA Draft and his heartfelt message.
FSU basketball forward Patrick Williams came to the Noles as part of the 2019 recruiting class.
A composite five-star recruit, Williams was ranked as the No. 26 player overall and No. 7 ranked shooting guard and No. 1 ranked player in North Carolina.
He was the highest-ranked player to sign with the Noles since Jonathan Isaac, who was the No. 8 overall ranked player in the 2016 recruiting class.
Isaac was played with FSU basketball one season and left to become the No. 6 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
It looks as though Williams is looking to follow in his footsteps as he announced he’s declaring for the NBA Draft.
It’s the second FSU basketball player to declare early in the last week with Devin Vassell announcing is intentions a few days ago. I suppose Leonard Hamilton and FSU are one of the new blood nowadays. That means recruiting highly ranked players that declare early for the draft.
Williams improved steadily throughout the season while consistently averaging more minutes on the floor. He finished the season averaging 9.2 ppg and four rebounds while shooting 46 percent from the floor and 84 percent from the free-throw line.
He scored in double-digits in seven of is last 10 games and averaged nearly six rebounds per game in that stretch. Williams would have been a huge part of the FSU basketball had he decided to come back for his sophomore season.
He’s slated to be drafted late in the first round according to most NBA Draft analysts.
FSU's Patrick Williams will declare for the NBA draft.
— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) March 26, 2020
One of those prospects who could have used workouts to improve his stock, though should still draw plenty of first-round interest. Physical combo with shooting potential, some PnR passing skills, good energy.
Next. 4 Takeaways From Noles 2019-20 Season. dark
Williams was named the ACC Sixth Man of the Year, and I was hoping he’d come back for one more season. I think he could have been a star next year for the Noles and improved his draft stock, but if he’s selected in the first round, it’s hard to argue his decision.