27-06-2025
Five things to know about Celtics' second-round draft pick Amari Williams
He was productive at the mid-major and high-major levels
Williams came off the bench as a freshman for Drexel, which plays in the mid-major Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), but emerged as one of the league's top players in his sophomore year.
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He won CAA Defensive Player of the Year three consecutive seasons and was a first-team All-CAA selection in his final two years at Drexel, averaging 12.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a senior while leading the Dragons to a second-place finish in the league.
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Williams received a major jump in competition with his transfer to Kentucky in a loaded SEC, and he was a key piece for a Wildcats team that reached the Sweet 16.
At Kentucky, he became just the second men's player in SEC history — and 25th in NCAA history — to record at least 375 points, 300 rebounds, 100 assists, 40 blocks and 20 steals in a single season.
He has a history with Great Britain's junior national teams
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The Nottingham, England, native grew up playing both basketball and soccer before deciding to focus strictly on basketball in his mid-teens.
He took part in Great Britain's national program at the Under-16, Under-18, and Under-20 levels, and got onto the radar of college coaches with his performances at global tournaments including the NBA Academy Games and Basketball Without Borders.
When he debuts with the Celtics, he will become just the third active NBA player from England.
He is an excellent passer
One of Williams's top attributes is his playmaking ability. He averaged 3.2 assists per game at Kentucky and was lauded for his ability to find backdoor cutters and use his long reach to pass over the top of defenses.
He was tied for the Wildcats' team lead in assists with 115, the most ever tallied by a 7-footer at Kentucky in a single season.
The Athletic's Sam Vecenie wrote that 'Williams could be a terrific passing big man in an era when just about every team is playing five-out even with non-shooting bigs.'
His offensive game is primarily around the basket
Williams is a traditional center on the offensive end, with a game predicated on post touches, finishing around the rim, and crashing the offensive glass. He took only four three pointers last season, and 30 in 141 collegiate games.
Williams was efficient around the rim last season, shooting a team-high 56.1 percent from the field and 64 percent on shot attempts at the rim. He also has displayed a consistent ability to get to the line over his college career, averaging above five free throw attempts per game each of the past three seasons (he shot 62.3 percent at the stripe last year).
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His defensive versatility will be critical to NBA success
Williams has all the requisite measurables of an NBA big man and racked up numerous defensive accolades in college for his high-end interior defense.
But his future with the Celtics will be determined in large part by his ability to translate his defensive game against the talent and screen-heavy play style of the modern NBA.
Yahoo's Kevin O'Connor writes that 'he does a great job of playing his angles as a drop coverage defender,' but warns that 'he struggles to recover when he's pulled out to the perimeter. He can't be relied on to switch screens. Asking him to defend a 3-point shooting big would not go well at this stage of his career.'
Likewise, Vecenie notes that 'NBA players will turn the corner against him far too easily. The good news is that he has the length to recover in these circumstances. But he needs to become utterly elite with his angles in drop coverage to make this work.'
Matty Wasserman can be reached at
