Texas A&M’s Robert Williams will reportedly bypass the NBA draft to turn return to school for his sophomore season, according to multiple reports. Williams was considered a potential top-10 draft pick. SB Nation had him at No. 13 overall in our mock draft this week.
Texas A&M’s Robert Williams is the first projected NBA draft lottery pick to return to school
Williams was projected as the No. 10 overall pick by DraftExpress.
Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Williams was one of the breakout freshmen of this season. Unlike the rest of the freshmen projected at the top of the 2017 draft, Williams was not a five-star recruit out of high school. ESPN pegged him as a four-star prospect and ranked him No. 50 overall in his high school class.
Williams caught the eye of NBA scouts largely because of his combination of elite length and athleticism. At 6’9, 237 pounds with a 7’4 wingspan, Williams profiled as a shot blocker and rim runner at the next level. He averaged 3.8 blocks per 40 minutes and seemed to have a highlight-reel dunk in every game he played.
Williams gets off the floor incredibly quick for a player of his size:
Williams’ decision to return to school is reminiscent of Ivan Rabb’s choice to go back to Cal last year. Rabb did not have the breakout sophomore season he was expecting but should still be a first-round pick in June’s draft if he decides to declare.
Williams averaged 11.9 points per game this season. Texas A&M finished 16-15 overall, and will hope to parlay Williams’ decision into a big season next year.
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