Maryland sophomore Jordan Williams declared for the NBA Draft yesterday, but he did not hire an agent, so he did not forfeit his collegiate eligibility and can return to school next year if he so chooses. You can count coach Gary Williams among those who think that Jordan Williams needs another year of College to help him get ready for the Pros, according to Dan Steinberg at D.C. Sports Bog.
“In Jordan’s situation, I believe he needs another year....He had a great sophomore year -- in other words the leap he made from his freshman year to his sophomore year was incredible. To make first-team all-ACC, a couple third-team all-Americans is great, and he’s got a great college game. In other words, he’s able to bull his way to the basket a lot of times, he can get to the free-throw line, he did improve his free-throw shooting as the year went on.
“But at the same time, there’s still things to do in terms of a jump shot, in terms of getting better athletically before you hit that next level. Because we all watch the NBA, and you see who’s playing out there. I mean, those guys are just some of the greatest athletes in the world.”
I think that anyone who watched Jordan Williams this year would come away with the same diagnosis of his game. He certainly made a lot of strides like Gary mentioned, but he isn't ready to play in the NBA. He needs to develop a little jump shot, work on handling double teams, learning how to establish good post position; and a little bit more work on his body wouldn't hurt. I think Williams can ultimately make it in the NBA, but like Gary, I don't think this is a good year for him to come out.