Robert Williams, a 6-foot-10 athletic big man from Texas A&M, will work out for the Nuggets Wednesday, the team announced. Williams will participate in Denver’s first solo workout of the pre-draft process and is the highest-rated prospect the Nuggets will have evaluated so far.
Williams, 20, is a 241-pound power forward/center who averaged 10.4 points and 9.2 rebounds last season for the Aggies. He was named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the year and averaged 2.5 blocks per game. The 78 blocked shots he tallied was the second most in a single season in school history and the most by an SEC player in the 2017-18 season.
ESPN’s has Williams 15th in their latest mock draft. In previous versions of their mock, Williams was projected to go to the Nuggets 14th overall.
A potential lottery pick at this time last year, Williams surprised some scouts when he elected to return to school for his sophomore season after winning the SEC Defensive Player of the Year outright during his freshman campaign. But Williams put together a solid season and helped the Aggies advance to the Sweet 16 where they fell to Michigan. Williams’ defensive presence propelled A&M to the 14th-most efficient defense in the nation, according to KenPom’s adjusted defensive rating.
On paper, Denver doesn’t need another frontcourt body but the solo workout will give Nuggets brass a chance to see one of the highest-ranked big men in this year’s draft up close in a controlled environment.
Offensively, Williams wasn’t put in the best position to succeed at A&M. He sacrificed his role and sometimes his positioning on the floor to leading scorer Tyler Davis. Williams has good touch around the basket compared to typical rim-running bigs and can score effectively on mismatches over either shoulder. Williams is also a big-time lob threat and high-level athlete. His body is NBA-ready.
Williams isn’t the type of player that NBA teams will run their offense through but flashed a capable jumper at times last season. However, he wasn’t a threat from three and shot a disappointing 47.1 percent from the charity stripe after hitting 59 percent of his free-throws his freshman season.
Defense is Williams’ calling card. He’s been one of the best defenders in the nation for two years running and could anchor a defense at the next level. Here’s how his block and defensive rebound percentages last season compare to the top big men in the draft.
Williams’ ability to move his feet on the perimeter as a switchable big is also intriguing.
Denver will also hold a group workout Wednesday morning that is highlighted by European swingman Dzanan Musa and Cincinnati wing Jacob Evans. Musa is a projected mid-first round pick while Evans is projected to go 30th overall in ESPN’s latest mock draft.
Hayden Dalton out of Wyoming, Arnoldas Kulboka, who most recently played for Capo d’Orlando in Italy’s top league, Ajdin Penava, who played at Marshall last season and Johnathan Williams from Gonzaga will also take part in the group workout.
