Grant Williams announced on Friday morning that he will be staying in the NBA draft after an All-American junior season with Tennessee.
Tennessee star junior Grant Williams is staying in the 2019 NBA Draft, as he announces in exclusive @Stadium sit-down: pic.twitter.com/4GrI16svLg
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 17, 2019
Williams averaged 18.8 points, 7.5 boards, 3.2 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals this past season, helping lead Tennessee to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament and on a run to the Sweet 16, where they lost in overtime to Purdue.
This is probably the right decision for him to make. While he is somewhat undersized and limited athletically, Williams is such a smart and savvy players. He really understands how to pass, he can defend multiple positions and, most importantly, he has a skill-set that should allow him to be able to contribute as a role player at the next level, particularly if his three-point stroke is as good as it has looked in postseason workouts.
Williams is slotted in at No. 19 to San Antonio in the most recent NBC Sports mock draft.
Tennessee will now have to play the waiting game with Jordan Bone, who is still undecided on his status. The Vols currently sit 22nd in the NBC Sports preseason top 25.