For the fourth straight year, an Arkansas player has heard his name called in the NBA Draft.
Big man Jaylin Williams was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round and with the 34th overall pick Thursday night.
It continues a streak of draft picks by the Razorbacks that started with Daniel Gafford and Isaiah Joe going in the second round in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Last year, Moses Moody was a lottery pick.
Much like those players, Williams left school early, choosing to forgo his final two years of eligibility to begin his professional career.
Part of the heralded 2020 class that helped restore the Arkansas program, Williams ended his college career having helped the Razorbacks to a 53-16 record and back-to-back Elite Eights — snapping a 25-year drought of not reaching the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
Despite being a four-star prospect and the No. 59 overall recruit in the country coming out of Fort Smith Northside, Williams did not play much early on as a freshman. In fact, he didn’t see the floor in six games and played less than 10 minutes in nine others.
However, his role expanded down the stretch, as he became a key player off the bench and even started the final three games of the NCAA Tournament.
That set the stage for a breakout sophomore year in which he earned first-team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team honors. He nearly averaged a double-double for the season, finishing with 10.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
While he was good from the start, Williams’ game evolved throughout the season and he was even better in SEC play, averaging 13.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks against conference foes.
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He ended up notching a double-double in 16 of the final 23 games of the season, while also shattering the UA single-season record with 364 rebounds and leading the NCAA with 54 charges drawn. Four of those double-doubles came in the NCAA Tournament, tying Corliss Williamson’s UA career record for the big dance.
