Duke Freshman Looks Like Lottery Pick, but Will He Play Enough?

Among the many players that Duke brought in this offseason, excluding the high school ranks, No. 4 prospect according to 247, Cameron Williams, was at the top of that list. 

As crazy as it might sound because of how good Williams is, at least ranking-wise, there are still some questions about his game. He's 6-foot-11 and 200 pounds, and the power forward has a real opportunity to come in and make an impact right away.

Regarding his NBA Draft situation, he's a bit polarizing. Some have him as a consensus lottery pick, while others think that he's going to fall a bit if he doesn't get a ton of playing time at Duke. 

There seem to be some questions on whether he's actually going to play a whole lot next year, at least compared to guys like Cameron Boozer and others over the past few years.

“A long and lengthy forward, Williams is a fantastic rebounder and already a great shot-blocker. He has shown flashes of a consistent three-point shot, but if he can become a versatile scorer as a rookie at Duke, he could make a push to be a top-five selection in the 2027 draft.

"Williams' numbers might not pop out as a freshman with the Blue Devils, depending on the role he plays, but his long-term upside should keep him in lottery conversations,” Hugh Straine wrote.

The thing with Williams is that he's so big and athletic that there's really no reason why he shouldn't see the floor a good bit. It remains uncertain if he's going to be the starting four at the moment, but his ability to impact the game on both sides of the basketball is going to get him plenty of playing time. 

Duke will have to figure out if Williams is good enough or fits perfectly in with what it wants to do with some of the veteran talent, which is the biggest question that I think it has.

I have a lot of trust in head coach Jon Scheyer and his ability to make things work, so I know he'll do what's best for the squad.