Jaylin Williams Sophomore Jump

[toddc 13,194]

Men's Basketball 6/15/2021 11:00:00 AM By: Greg Ostendorf

The Sophomore Jump: Jaylin Williams

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AUBURN, Ala. – As a freshman, Jaylin Williams showed glimpses of his talent. Look no further than the Tennessee game where he threw a pass off the backboard to himself and then slammed it home, sending the Auburn Arena crowd into a frenzy. 

But between having to learn the system, adjusting to the college game and then playing behind a handful of seniors plus Isaac Okoro, it never quite came together for Williams who averaged just 2.4 points per game his first year on the Plains. 

The next year, however, when those seniors moved on and Okoro left early for the NBA, the door opened for Williams. And he didn't just walk through it, he crashed through it. The 6-foot-8, 230-pound sophomore started all 27 games for Auburn and averaged 10.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. He scored in double figures 16 times, including two 20-point games. 

"Coming into sophomore year, I didn't have anyone in front of me," Williams said. "I was basically next in line, and I feel like the end of my freshmen year brightened me up. I was ready to go my sophomore year. I had a better mindset of the game and the environment."

Williams was one of the most improved players in the SEC in terms of scoring, going from 2.4 to 10.9 points per game, but there was so much more to his rise. He jumped 2.9 in rebounds per game, 1.6 in assists per game. He went from five blocks to 39. And maybe most impressive was his 3-point shooting. After making just one 3 as a freshman, he finished fourth on the team with 32 triples this past season. 

"I think being more locked in and more focused helped me improve my skill of shooting," Williams said. "Being in the gym more than what I was my freshman year."

Williams also had the green light from head coach Bruce Pearl and the Auburn staff who gave Williams opportunities and found ways to showcase his versatility. 

"It's very nice," he said. "Some schools they will try to change you and do other things that are not really your skill, try to make you do things you don't even practice. BP, he makes sure he knows what your skill is, and he's going to put you in position to improve on that skill."

During the season, Pearl called Williams a mismatch for opposing teams but said he has a chance to be a "real problem." That's the challenge now for Williams. Can he take the next step as a junior and become a dominant player in the SEC this coming season? 


 

BY THE NUMBERS

3: Williams made a strong last case last year as not only the most versatile player for Auburn but one of the most versatile players in college basketball. He was one of only threeunderclassmen nationally to have 250 points, 50 assists, 35 blocks and 15 steals. Only 12 players in the country posted those numbers, including just two from the SEC. 

39: Auburn led the SEC in blocks per game (6.04) last year, and Williams was at the center of it, pacing the Tigers with 39 blocks on the season. The sophomore, who had just five blocks as a freshman, blocked two or more shots in 13 games, including nine of his last 16. He finished with 1.44 blocks per game, which ranked sixth individually in the league. 

51.8: Williams went from 28 shot attempts as a freshman to 224 as a sophomore, but his field-goal percentage nearly stayed the same. He stayed over 50 percent, shooting 51.8 percent from the field, good for fourth-best in the SEC among players with more than 200 shots. He also more than tripled his 3-point shooting percentage, shooting 34 percent from beyond the arc (32-94). 
 

COACHES' CORNER WITH WES FLANIGAN 

Q: How did you see Jaylin grow from his freshman to sophomore year? 

A: I think with Jaylin, it's all about being comfortable. He's a small-town kid from South Georgia. His mom is his best friend. They're really close. He's kind of a homebody. It takes him a little while to get comfortable with other people, get comfortable in his environment. I don't think he had the preparation that some of the other guys had coming into college. That was a huge adjustment for him getting here – the speed of the game, the strength of the game – and you saw that once he got an opportunity the kid definitely has a lot of talent. He is a multifaceted kid. There's not a lot that Jaylin can't do on the basketball court. It's all about him having an aggressive mindset, and when you see him with an aggressive mindset, he's a really good basketball player for us. 

Q: What's the ceiling for Jaylin and what does he have to do to get there? 

A: The ceiling is as high as anybody's in our program. I think everybody on our staff and everybody in that locker room realizes that Jaylin is a huge person for our team in order for us to be successful because he brings so much to the table. He's got experience. He can shoot the basketball. He can put it on the floor, and he can make passes. He can rebound the ball. He's a good defender. But there's also a ceiling where he can continue to grow, and everybody goes through their own process. One thing you can't do is rush their process, and we don't want to do that with him. I expect for him to continue to develop. I expect him for him to be one of our leaders next year. But I also think he's capable of being an all-league type guy for us at some point, and I hope that's sooner rather than later. 

[gravejd 3,270]

Jaylin has been a hard one for me to get a handle on in terms of how good i think he can end up being. I thought he took a big step forward last season but i also thought he still looked a little slow in just about everything he did. I was hoping for just a bit more of a jump but maybe that was expecting too much.....and with the lack of play makers last season and the constant changing lineup i think made a few of the guys not look as good as they might have otherwise. Its good to be reminded that he was still just a Sophomore last season. If he makes another jump in confidence and reacting more quickly to what is going on around him then this guy could be a real key player for us next season. We'll have younger guys with higher ceilings that he will be competing with in Jabari and Kessler but he'll take that as a challenge to raise his game. 

Thor leaving really opened the door for Williams to shine this season. Hard to imagine AU basketball is where it is but if Thor had come back then i think minutes for Jaylin would have been harder to come by. As it stands now he'll be competing with Jabari and Kessler for minutes at the 4 spot. And i would not be at all surprised to see Jaylin starting at the 4 while Kessler starts at the 5 and Jabari is first man off the bench at either 5 or 4 spot. Atleast for the start of the season while Jabari get acclimated to college ball. 

[ArmchairAthlete7 21]

2 hours ago, gravejd said:

And i would not be at all surprised to see Jaylin starting at the 4 while Kessler starts at the 5 and Jabari is first man off the bench at either 5 or 4 spot. Atleast for the start of the season while Jabari get acclimated to college ball. 

I would be pretty surprised. Jabari has been on campus for only a couple weeks and I would bet that he's already the best guy at practice. We haven't had a talent like his at Auburn in a very long time, if ever.

[gravejd 3,270]

10 minutes ago, ArmchairAthlete7 said:

I would be pretty surprised. Jabari has been on campus for only a couple weeks and I would bet that he's already the best guy at practice. We haven't had a talent like his at Auburn in a very long time, if ever.

Yours is a fair viewpoint. Jabari is considered a top 10/5 talent for the next NBA draft so i understand the expectation. But don't underestimate the value of 2 years of college experience is all i'm trying to say. Pearl values guy with experience so if its close to start the season don't be surprised to see Jaylin get the nod. And while i would not be surprised to see Jaylin start the year in the starting 5....i would be surprised if he finished the season in the starting 5. 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

I think Jaylin is fairly unlucky in that if he had his game and was a couple inches taller, he'd be a really valued small ball 5. I don't see NBA in the cards for this guy but anything is possible. Should at the very least be a really valued Auburn player, and he burdened quite a bit as the beefiest "center" that had a semblance of offensive prowess outside of alley oops

Thor being gone and Cardwell hopefully progressing might allow for him to get some of his natural power forward minutes. Hope he shows alot 

Edited June 17, 2021 by Dual-Threat Rigby

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

" He stayed over 50 percent, shooting 51.8 percent from the field, good for fourth-best in the SEC among players with more than 200 shots. He also more than tripled his 3-point shooting percentage, shooting 34 percent from beyond the arc (32-94)."

 

That's incredibly impressive with him matching up against the biggest player on the opposite team, usually giving up at least 2 inches, and with how many 3s he put up over the season 

[gravejd 3,270]

3 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

I think Jabari is fairly unlucky in that if he had his game and was a couple inches taller, he'd be a really valued small ball 5. I don't see NBA in the cards for this guy but anything is possible. Should at the very least be a really valued Auburn player, and he burdened quite a bit as the beefiest "center" that had a semblance of offensive prowess outside of alley oops

Thor being gone and Cardwell hopefully progressing might allow for him to get some of his natural power forward minutes. Hope he shows alot 

Did you mean Jaylin instead of Jabari?? You would be the first i've heard say they don't see NBA for Jabari

[tgrogan21 6,198]

12 hours ago, gravejd said:

Jaylin has been a hard one for me to get a handle on in terms of how good i think he can end up being. I thought he took a big step forward last season but i also thought he still looked a little slow in just about everything he did. I was hoping for just a bit more of a jump but maybe that was expecting too much.....and with the lack of play makers last season and the constant changing lineup i think made a few of the guys not look as good as they might have otherwise. Its good to be reminded that he was still just a Sophomore last season. If he makes another jump in confidence and reacting more quickly to what is going on around him then this guy could be a real key player for us next season. We'll have younger guys with higher ceilings that he will be competing with in Jabari and Kessler but he'll take that as a challenge to raise his game. 

Thor leaving really opened the door for Williams to shine this season. Hard to imagine AU basketball is where it is but if Thor had come back then i think minutes for Jaylin would have been harder to come by. As it stands now he'll be competing with Jabari and Kessler for minutes at the 4 spot. And i would not be at all surprised to see Jaylin starting at the 4 while Kessler starts at the 5 and Jabari is first man off the bench at either 5 or 4 spot. Atleast for the start of the season while Jabari get acclimated to college ball. 

I think you were expecting too much. Jaylin might have been a sophomore but he definitely didn't a lot of playing time as a freshman. He only played 14 games, didn't start any games, and only averaged 7 minutes per game. Most of those games (except for 1, I think) came in the last 13 games of the season and only because of injuries. Jaylin is going to be a big glue guy for us this coming year and will be our best guy off the bench but a guy that gets very close to starter minutes.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

7 hours ago, gravejd said:

Did you mean Jaylin instead of Jabari?? You would be the first i've heard say they don't see NBA for Jabari

Yeah that was a mistake mb 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

I was thinking Jabari bc I wanted to say there’s no chance alive Jaylin starts over him, but I thought that’d be too confrontational sounding