Johnathan Williams

Johnathan Williams
No. 19 – Los Angeles Lakers
Position Power forward
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1995-05-22) May 22, 1995
Memphis, Tennessee
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight 228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school Southwind (Memphis, Tennessee)
College
NBA draft 2018 / Undrafted
Playing career 2018–present
Career history
2018–present Los Angeles Lakers
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× First-team All-WCC (2017, 2018)
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA U17 World Championship
2012 Lithuania
FIBA Americas U16 Championship
2011 Mexico

Johnathan Lee Williams III (born May 22, 1995) is an American professional basketball player, who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.[1] He spent two seasons with the University of Missouri Tigers men's basketball team before deciding to transfer before the 2015–16 season.

High school career

Williams attended Southwind High School in Memphis, Tennessee for four years, finishing his high school tenure with an 88-17 record and earning a starting spot on the basketball team from the get-go in his freshman year. As a freshman, he averaged 10.2 points and 9.5 rebounds, leading his squad to a 26-5 record and second-place at state, and was named an honorable mention freshman All-American by Max Preps.[2] During his sophomore year, Williams averaged 17.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 3 blocks, while 52 percent from the field, 48 percent from 3-point, and 80 percent from the free-throw line, as well as a 26-6 record and third-place at the state trounament. As a junior, he averaged 15.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.6 blocks, and 1.1 assists, while guiding his team to a 28-5 record and an appearance in the state quarterfinals.[3] Williams capped off his incredible high school career by averaging 18.9 points and 9.5 rebounds, while leading Southwind to a 34-6 record and a state title. He earned all-state honors by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association in 2011, 2012, and 2013.[4]

Recruiting

"Johnathan is so versatile on the floor and has a number of ways he can impact a basketball game. His size and skillset are unique and he can present mismatch problems for opponents. He is smooth on the perimeter and is long and active and really has a great feel for how to attack his opponent and keep his teammates involved. Off the court Johnathan is just such a complete young man. He comes from a tremendous family and has a great sense of what it takes to be a leader on the court, in the classroom and amongst his teammates."

— Frank Haith, Missouri Head Coach.[5]

After taking official visits to Georgetown, Missouri, Tennessee, Michigan State, and George Mason, Johnathan Williams commit to Missouri.[6] Williams signed with Missouri during the early signing period in November 2012.[5]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Johnathan Williams III
PF		 Memphis, TN Southwind 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Nov 14, 2012 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 87
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #34   Rivals: #42  247Sports: #47  ESPN: #55
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2013 Missouri Rivals Commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  • "2013 Missouri Scout Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  • "2013 Missouri ESPN Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  • "2013 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  • "2013 Missouri 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016.

College career

Freshman season

As a freshman at Missouri, Johnathan Williams helped to lead to Tigers to an appearance in the NIT and a 23-13 record, and started every game, while averaging 5.8 points, along with team highs of 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. His 227 total rebounds were 11th best in the SEC in 2013–14 and the 4th-most as a freshman at Missouri. His 57 total blocks were 5th-best in the SEC, along with the 8th-best nationally among freshmen, 2nd most by a freshman at Missouri and 5th-most as a Tiger regardless of class.[4]

In his first collegiate game in a 89-53 win over Southeastern Louisiana on November 8, 2013, Williams posted 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist on 2-for-2 field goals and 3-of-4 free throws.[7] On November 23, Williams grabbed career-highs of 17 rebounds and 2 steals to go along with 7 points, 3 blocks, and 2 assists on 3-for-10 field goals and 1-of-4 free throws in a win over Gardner-Webb.[8] He had a season-high 14 points, along with 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal on 3-for-3 from the field and 8-for-10 from the charity stripe in a win against Northwestern on November 28.[9] On December 7 in an 80-71 win over #18 UCLA, he had 10 points, 15 rebounds, 2 bloacks, 1 steal, and 1 assist on 3-of-5 field goals and 4-of-6 free throws.[10] On March 5, 2014, Williams blocked a career-high 5 shots, along with 7 points and 8 rebounds on 3-of-7 field goals and 1-of-2 free throws, in a win over Texas A&M.[11] In a double-overtime win over Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament on March 13, Williams dished out a career-high 4 assists to go along with a double-double (11 points and 15 rebounds), 2 blocks, and 1 steal on 3-of-7 2-pointers, 1-for-2 from 3-point land, and 2-of-2 free throw shooting.[12]

Sophomore season

Heading into his sophomore year, Williams was expected to shoulder a much larger role for Missouri with the losses of guards Jabari Brown, Jordan Clarkson, and Earnest Ross, who combined to average more than 50 points per game, as well as head coach Frank Haith. Williams was Missouri's top returning scorer, rebounder, and shot-blocker. However, tough times were ahead for Williams as he suffered a partial meniscus tear in his right knee during the preseason of early October 2014.[13][14]

Despite leading Missouri in scoring (11.9 points), rebounding (7.1 rebounds), and shot-blocking (0.6) per game during his sophomore season, Williams was hampered all season by a torn meniscus, and the Tigers finished with the most losses and longest losing streak (13) in school history with a 9-23 record.[15][16]

In the regular season opener in a 69-61 loss to UMKC on November 14, 2014, Williams had a season high of 4 blocks, along with 6 points and 5 rebounds on 3-of-7 field goals.[17] On December 2, he dropped 18 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block on 5-for-9 field goals and 8-for-14 free throws in a win over Southeast Missouri State.[18] In an overtime loss to Oklahoma State on December 30, Williams scored 22 points, along with 9 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal on 6-of-10 2-point field goals, 2-of-3 3-pointers, and 4-of-7 free throws.[19] On January 8, 2015, he had double-double (21 points and 10 rebounds) and 1 block on 8-for-17 field goal shooting and 5-for-8 free throws in a 74-67 win in overtime over LSU in the SEC opener.[20] WIlliams had career-highs of 27 points and 3-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc, along with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block, on 6-for-10 2-pointers and 6-for-8 from the free throw line in a 77-74 loss against Mississippi State on February 14. He scored 23 of his points in the second half, including a 3-pointer which brought Mizzou within 1 with 2 seconds remaining, but it wasn't enough.[21]

Junior season

"Johnathan is a very high character young man, and really good academically,” head coach Mark Few said. “He’s a proven commodity at high Division I level in scoring and rebounding, and he fits a real need for where our team and personnel makeup will be a year from now. I think this next year of development will be huge for him. It’s a perfect scenario with being able to work with Nigel [Williams-Goss] and also, day-in and day-out, go against Kyle [Wiltjer], Domantas [Sabonis] and Przemek [Karnowski]. That really creates a great situation for him development-wise."

— Mark Few, Gonzaga Head Coach.[22]

After his 2014–15 campaign with Missouri, Williams decided to transfer. His father cited that Williams didn't fit in with his teammates and didn't believe he was developing enough. His father thought the a redshirt year to "get stronger, work on ball skills and get that knee a chance to heal."[16] Missouri restricted Williams from transferring to 25 schools, including every SEC and Big-12 school, along with Arizona and Illinois.[23] Williams took official visits to Gonzaga, Georgetown, and SMU, but made the decision to transfer to Gonzaga. Williams would have to redshirt the 2015–16 season before having two years of eligibility to play at the beginning of the 2016–17 season.[22][24]

College statistics[1]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013-14 Missouri 35 35 26.3 .457 .364 .565 6.5 0.7 0.4 1.6 5.8
2014-15 Missouri 32 32 29.4 .412 .344 .617 7.1 0.8 0.3 0.6 11.9
2016-17 Gonzaga 39 39 24.3 .592 .400 .563 6.4 0.8 0.7 0.9 10.2
2017-18 Gonzaga 34 33 29.2 .565 .242 .561 8.3 1.6 0.7 1.2 13.5
Career 140 139 27.3 .507 .338 .577 7.1 1.0 0.5 1.1 10.4

Professional career

Williams went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft. He signed a contract offer from the Los Angeles Lakers to be on their Summer League team roster.[25]

On July 21, 2018, Williams signed an NBA contract with the Lakers, while on October 13, 2018, he was waived, after appearing in all their six preseason games. [26]

International career

Johnathan Williams helped the USA win a gold medal in the 2011 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, while averaging 5.4 points and 4.6 rebounds. In 2012, Williams joined the USA and won a gold medal in the FIBA U17 World Championship, while averaging 7 points and 4.6 rebounds in 16 minutes per game.[3]

Personal life

Williams is the son of Johnny Williams and Barbara Williams.

References

  1. 1 2 "Gonzaga Basketball Profile: Johnathan Williams". Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Boys Basketball Freshmen All-American Team". April 27, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "USA Basketball Profile: Johnathan Williams". July 10, 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Missouri Basketball Profile: Johnathan Williams". Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "MIZZOU BASKETBALL ANNOUNCES NATIONALLY RANKED SIGNING CLASS". November 14, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Memphis forward picks Mizzou". October 18, 2012.
  7. ↑ "MIZZOU TAKES 2013-14 SEASON OPENER, 89-53". November 8, 2013.
  8. ↑ "MISSOURI DOWNS GARDNER-WEBB, 72-63". November 23, 2013.
  9. ↑ "MISSOURI OVERCOMES NORTHWESTERN, 78-67". November 28, 2013.
  10. ↑ "MIZZOU TOPS NO. 18 UCLA, 80-71". December 7, 2013.
  11. ↑ "ROSS SAVES SENIOR NIGHT FOR MIZZOU, 57-56". March 5, 2014.
  12. ↑ "TIGERS OUTLAST A&M IN TWO OT'S, 91-83". March 13, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Missouri forward Johnathan Williams still battling knee injury". October 28, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Missouri forward Johnathan Williams III out with torn meniscus". October 1, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Missouri's Johnathan Williams III will transfer". March 31, 2015.
  16. 1 2 "Mizzou's Williams decides to transfer". March 31, 2015.
  17. ↑ "MIZZOU DROPS REGULAR SEASON OPENER, 69-61, TO UMKC". November 14, 2014.
  18. ↑ "TIGERS USE LATE SURGE TO CLIP REDHAWKS, 65-61". December 2, 2014.
  19. ↑ "MIZZOU FALLS IN OVERTIME TO OKLAHOMA STATE, 74-72". December 30, 2014.
  20. ↑ "MIZZOU HOLDS OFF LSU, 74-67, IN OVERTIME SEC OPENER". January 8, 2015.
  21. ↑ "MIZZOU HOLDS OFF LSU, 74-67, IN OVERTIME SEC OPENER". January 8, 2015.
  22. 1 2 "Gonzaga MBB Adds Missouri Transfer Johnathan Williams". June 4, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Report: Missouri transfer Johnathan Williams III restricted from 25 schools". April 8, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Missouri transfer Williams picks Gonzaga". May 30, 2015.
  25. ↑ Meehan, Jim (June 22, 2018). "Former Gonzaga forward Johnathan Williams signs NBA Summer League contract with Los Angeles Lakers". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Lakers Sign Johnathan Williams". NBA.com. July 21, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
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