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Florida State’s Patrick Williams declares for NBA draft

South Florida v Florida State

SUNRISE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 21: Patrick Williams #4 of the Florida State Seminoles dunks against the South Florida Bulls during the second half of the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic at BB&T Center on December 21, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

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Florida State forward Patrick Williams announced on Thursday that he will be declaring for the 2020 NBA Draft.

Williams, a 6-foot-8 and 225 pound combo-forward, averaged 9.2 points as a freshman for the Seminoles. He is projected as a mid-to-late first round pick.

Williams fills a role that NBA teams really value in the modern game. He has the frame and the versatility to be able to guard either forward spot at the next level, and his wingspan and powerful athleticism jumped off the page during his time in Tallahassee. It’s not hard to figure out when you watch him play that he is an NBA player.

The question that is more interesting is just how good he can be, and what position he’ll play at the next level. As a freshman, he shot 32 percent from three on 50 attempts, but he made nearly 84 percent of his free throws and has the potential to develop into a guy with three-point range in the league. Three-and-D wings that are switchable have a ton of value as role players at that level, and Williams projects as a guy that can do that job in the league.

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The bigger question is what happens with Florida State moving forward. The Seminoles lose Trent Forrest to graduation and will now likely be with Williams and Devin Vassell, another projected first round pick that declared for the draft this month. Leonard Hamilton has built the Florida State program into one that can survive departures, and I don’t think that will be any different next season. M.J. Walker and Anthony Polite are both coming back, and he did land five-star Scottie Barnes.

Hell, I’ll go as far as to say that the Seminoles not having a point guard to replace Forrest is a bigger deal than losing either Vassell or Williams this year.