Part of the fun of NBA Summer League is the opportunity for each team’s fan base to be enticed by low-risk, high-reward players. For Boston’s fan base, one of those players this July is big man Trevion Williams.
Williams is a 6-foot-10 big man out of Purdue who signed to play for the Summer Celtics after going undrafted on Draft night. The fact that Williams went undrafted, however, hasn’t curtailed the hype around his upside as a skilled combo big.
Williams is coming off of a four-year career at Purdue that was capped with senior-year averages of 12.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He compiled those averages, by the way, while playing only 20.1 minutes per game amid a loaded Boilermakers frontcourt.
Since his arrival in Boston, there has been quite a bit of talk about Williams’ upside. The skill that has garnered the most attention is unquestionably his passing.
Williams nearly led Purdue in assist average this past season while playing all of his minutes at power forward and center. He also did so, as noted above, while playing limited minutes. Williams was regarded by many as the top passing big man available on Draft night.
Without surprise, those elite passing skills have been a highlight throughout this week’s Summer League training camp at the Auerbach Center.
“The first thing that stood out is his passing. Such a willing passer. Vision. He can see the whole floor,” said Summer League head coach Ben Sullivan. “With his size and touch and feel, I was just really impressed with not only his willingness to pass, but his vision and ability to see the floor.”
Williams’ vision is so strong that he oftentimes sees things without even looking, according to teammate Sam Hauser.
“I know there’s a couple times where he was kinda looking the other way and threw it to a different guy that he wasn’t looking at, right in the shooting pocket for a 3,” said Hauser, who as a 3-point marksman may very well have been the recipient of one or more of those passes. “So I think there’s been a lot of examples like that throughout these practices that (indicate) he’s gonna have a real impact in these games coming up.”
Hauser also said that he’s noticed since the start of Summer League camp that Williams “makes his teammates better by the way he passes.”
That’s certainly a good start for a player who’s jockeying for a spot on Boston’s roster next season. It’s also a great reason for Boston’s fan base to be excited to watch him take the court for the first time in green and white.
Williams is an elite passer, a very strong rebounder, and a strong finisher. He’s been showcasing those skills privately throughout Summer League training camp with the Celtics. Now, he’ll have an opportunity to do so publicly when the Summer C’s open up play at 5:30 p.m. ET Saturday against the Miami Heat.