Amari Williams Saved Kentucky Wildcats with “Modern-Day Center” Abilities

Amari Williams Saved Kentucky Wildcats with “Modern-Day Center” Abilities

All right, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope called Amari Williams a record setting point center after the Celtics drafted him with the number 46 overall pick in the NBA draft. And coach Pope is here with us to talk about his former center. Coach, we appreciate you joining us first and foremost. Secondly, I got to ask you, you know, you you took the job at Kentucky last year and then I I think it was nine days later you got the commit of Amari transferring in. What made him stand out as one of the guys you wanted to target immediately once you took the job? Well, he he fit us. He fit the way that we want to play and what we do. He’s uh he’s a he’s a modernday center in the sense that he’s so skilled. He’s such an elite level passer. He’s incredible off the bounce. Uh he he’s he’s he’s got great defensive presence. He’s one of the top defensive rebounding centers in the country the year before he got to us and continued on with that. So, he just was a modern-day center in terms of being physical, having rim protection to be able to rebound, and then being a great playmaker, which became essential for us uh as we went through the season last year. Yeah, no question about that. And we’ve seen that playmaking on full display here early on during the summer league. He arrived here with a ton of hype around that area and he’s really living up to it so far. He’s really impass me with some of the passes that he’s made, but um what is it around that part of the game that really makes him so special? One one is that he just wants to win and so he’s he’s he he’s willing to do whatever is necessary to win and he has a little bit like he takes so much satisfaction by being a play maker by setting the table. Uh you know I he’s never told me this you know but but it’s in his DNA. I think he’s he played the second half of the season essentially. He was a point center for us. We lost our starting point guard, our backup point guard. And then our third string point guard was our starting two all down to injury for the last two months of the season essentially. And so Amari had to step in. He was bringing the ball down the floor against the press. He was leading the break in transition. He was setting our offense. And I think he loves it, man. I think I think he’s uh I think he is he is is is the only 7 foot point guard that I’ve ever had the opportunity. Well, we can’t wait to see him out on the court with the Boston Celtics doing the exact same thing. But you you lead into a question that I’ve got to ask here is that we’ve seen the seven foot guy bringing the ball up the court. We’ve seen him making passes on time on target. He’s really stood out like with his accuracy and timing that I’ve seen here early on. How different is he than an actual point guard in these perspectives? like is he is the crossover like exact to a real actual point guard who grew up doing this? Well, he’s a much better rebounder and shot block. No question about that. How about just from the passing perspective though? Like when you’re watching him on film u does he look the part of a point guard or is there are there any differences from his seven foot frame doing it? Yeah. Well well the one advantage he has with his size and we talk about this all the time. It’s why people love long guards, right? He’s able to make plays over the top so easily. He doesn’t actually have to find seams, although he’s good at it, especially when he’s playing like a zoom action or a corner split action or playing, you know, uh any type of uh Ricky action or or rifle action at the top. He’s so good um at be able to make plays and he’s he’s he’s he’s able to pass over the top which makes his vision uh so much more deadly. It makes the decision-m a little bit simpler. All right. You you touched on the defense a little bit earlier. He was the three-time defensive player of the year in the CIA before he joined you guys in the SEC. What part of his defense do you think is going to translate best to the NBA? I think his defensive rebounding is going to is going to translate um in like it’s a perfect transition. I think that’s going to be from day one. Uh he’s going to have a huge impact on the defensive glass. I think that his ability to switch uh every ball screen is going to be something that’s going to have a massive impact. He’s, you know, uh, we ended up not having to switch as much as I thought we would early in the season, but his ability to switch and and be smart and disciplined with his feet, uh, he’s a terrific athlete. He won some games late for us. Uh, you know, in fact, uh, you know, uh, in in in a in a late game play against Duke. Um, he had a switch against Cooper Flag and kind of swallowed him up in the corner, ended up turning the ball over, but he’s got such great feet and such great athleticism that that’s going to be a huge advantage that he offers on the defensive end also. Yeah, that that’s great to hear. And we love defensive bigs who can move their feet. Um, talking about offensive again once more though, we’ve seen him finish around the rim with his his left hand. He’s left-handed as we all know. Um, are there any benefits of of a big man like him being a lefty as opposed to a righty that you’ve seen? Well, it’s, you know, if you think about it, just pairing him with a right-handed uh player um can be really effective because he gets to a right-handed player coming off a ball screen to his right hand to his strong hand and Amari getting to roll to his left hand and make the catch that way. It just I mean every player can do both, but it just lean in. It’s really nice. It allows him to work the left side of the floor when he’s at the top of the key. um you know, making left-hand pass, it it it it allows you to really search the left side of the floor, which um attacking towards that sideline, which is a little bit of a different flow than most of us normally attack. Although, like I said, in the NBA, everybody’s able to do both sides, but uh it is his his him being a lefty was a huge advantage for us. from a screen setting perspective. We know that that’s one of the most important aspects of a big man in the NBA, what they can bring to the table. Where’s where’s he at from that perspective? He got a chance to be elite. Um, you know, he’s he’s he’s unafraid. He’s a brick wall. Uh, he’s very willing. Um, and and it’s uncomfortable when you run into his body. Our guys are Do you know that from from personal experience? I I I know it from seeing it every day in practice. We had a lot of guys that were trying to whip screens because because they want didn’t want to take him on physically. Love to hear that. What do you think is next in his development? You know, he’s he’s young. It’s early in his career. We’re talking about five years down the road. What do you think is next in his development uh for him to kind of like reach that level of consistency in the NBA? Yep. Um, so I I do think that he’s got a chance to be an elite level to to grow into a really scorer um with all kinds of different finishes around the rim. I think he’s I think he’s got it. Of course, he’s his biggest challenge right now is just learning the NBA game. It translates pretty well from what we do. It’s just the talent level at that in that league is so so huge. Uh but I think he’s going to continue on. I mean, he’s bringing his strengths to the league and I think that’s what’s going to carry the day. What is your favorite memory? I know it was only one season with him, but what was your favorite memory, be it on the court or off the court, of being around him for the last year? There’s so much, you know, the I’ll tell you the one thing about Amari Williams. He cares about the guys on his team like in a deep like to his heart and soul, he cares about the guys on his team and he’s going to protect the guys on his team. He he is um it was incredible to watch him mentor uh Brandon Garrison, a young big we have. And he he took care of him like a dad slash big brother. And that’s kind of how he was with our whole team. It’s why Boston is going to love him so much. Why the guys in his locker room are going to love him so much because what you see is he’s an incredibly genuine guy that that would fight to the to the death to to protect his teammates. Man, it just is in his heart. And so we had um we had physical moments where he did that. We had emotional moments where he did that. You’re gonna get to see all that in Boston. Love it. Can’t can’t wait to see it. Coach, hey, we appreciate the time. Uh good luck the rest of the summer. Good luck next season at Kentucky. And uh we’re looking forward to seeing Amari out on the court at the park here at TD Garden. Thanks, Mark. Appreciate it. All right. Take care.

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Kentucky Wildcats Head Coach Mark Pope called Celtics No. 46 overall pick Amari Williams “a modern-day center” while describing his passing, vision, rebounding and defensive abilities. Pope zeroed in on securing Williams as a transfer immediately upon taking the Kentucky job. He tells Marc D’Amico why, including the areas where Pope believes Williams will be able to make an immediate impact in the NBA.