Still awaiting word on who will be at Verizon Center for Thursday’s predraft workout, although I did see Demar DeRozan’s name mentioned somewhere. One rumor I heard was that there would be two workouts, but no confirmation on that.
In the meantime, the Wizards finally got back into locally hosting potential picks ahead of the draft, which is just over two weeks away. To be honest, Terrence Williams was the only potential pick today. His workout partner, Virginia and DeMatha alum Mamadi Diane, is likely headed overseas. He said he’s looked into France already, as he speaks the language and has connections there through his parents.
Williams was a bit more colorful, declaring the two-person workout the toughest so far of the nine he’s done. He said he’s got three more to go. Projected anywhere in the draft from late top ten to top 20 — which explains why so many teams want to take a look at him. — Williams had the swagger of a guy who knows he’s going in the first round. Where doesn’t matter because the contract is guaranteed.
“The dream is to get your name called in the first round,” said Williams. “I don’t take nothing for granted. I was talking to the GM, he said anything happens on draft night. I could get drafted No. 7 to go to Golden State, and wake up in the morning and hear the news that I’m playing for Detroit. It doesn’t really matter, as long as I get my named called in the first round.”
Williams, who averaged 12.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists as a senior at Louisville, also wasn’t worried about concerns that he’s not a natural scorer: “It doesn’t bother me because I put myself in this position by playing my type of game. Four years of college has been the same knock, of not being a scorer, but I still helped my team go to two Elite Eights and still led my team in almost every category. I’m not trying to answer questions at all. I’m trying to continue playing my game.”
As for the Wizards: “They just need a few more pieces to their huge puzzle, and I think I could be the little piece in the left corner.”
And two other interesting college-related comments. First, on the toughest guy Williams played against during his Big East career: Hasheem Thabeet: “Because on the court he’s like nine feet [tall]. In person, he’s whatever, 7-3, but on the court he’s like nine feet, and he just changes the whole game. You get so nervous to go shoot a layup. Even if he’s out of the game, shooting a layup, you’ll look around like, oh, he’s not in the game.”
Last, his impressions of preparing for Georgetown: “If you play Notre Dame, you kind of prepare for Georgetown. But they’re a weird school to me because they have athletic players at every position, but they play an offense where you’d think they have five guys that couldn’t touch the backboard. It’s weird because any second they go back door. It’s a way of playing defense against them, keep your chest to their chest. It’s weird preparing, but after a few years and a few games, you get used to it.”
