National Basketball Association

NBA Draft Preview: TCU's Kenrich Williams

Published Jun. 16, 2018 10:03 a.m. ET

Williams' arrival from New Mexico Junior College keyed TCU's rise from an 0-18 Big 12 finish in 2013-14 to breaking a 20-year NCAA Tournament drought this past season.

After he missed his sophomore season due to a knee injury, Williams had 19 double-doubles in 37 games in 2016-17 and averaged 15.6 points, 12.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists to earn NIT MVP honors during TCU's 5-0 run to the title. He also finished strong as a senior, bouncing out of a February slump to average 15.3 points and 9.8 rebounds over his last four games.

Williams impressed with his shooting touch at the NBA draft combine in May, tying for third overall in shooting percentage in the break right event and second in shooting percentage among forwards in the corner left and top key events. Scouts believe he has the potential to stretch the floor after hitting 39.5 percent of his 3-point attempts as a senior, though his 68.8 mark from the free-throw line was certainly less impressive.

Williams is undersized for an NBA forward, but he's believed to be strong and physical enough to hold his own against most wings and quick enough to stick with a lot of guards. Given that he'll be 24 years old before 2019, there is some concern that Williams might be as good as he's going to get.

However, his toughness, shooting range and ability to defend multiple positions could make him tough to pass on late in the second round.