Locked away on his cellphone, Jalen Williams keeps receipts. Screenshots of every criticism, slight and disrespect. Too small, one pre-draft analyst said of him. Too slow. Can’t defend. Isn’t explosive. Doesn’t create his own shot. As a rookie, Williams would scroll through his archive whenever he needed motivation. As a third-year player, an All-Star, a starter on the Western Conference front-runner he … still does. “Average role player, I remember that one,” Williams says. “I’ll look. Just in case I need more incentive to play a little harder.”
Watching Williams now, you wonder—what did teams miss? How did a 6' 6", three-level scorer slip to 12th in the 2022 draft? In a league obsessed with positionless players, how did one with the ball skills to play point guard and the length (an astonishing 7' 2" wingspan) to fill in at center get overlooked? Two players from that draft class have made an All-Star Game. Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, who went first overall after one season at Duke, is one. Williams, who spent three years at Santa Clara, is the other.
