It’s easy to read “11 points at Auburn” or “seven points against Virginia” and think NC State men’s basketball’s senior forward Darrion Williams can’t perform when it counts. That would be silly, though.
Last year, he scored 84 points for Texas Tech in the NCAA tournament. The year before, a sophomore Williams dropped a then-career-high 30 points in a win over No. 6 Kansas. Even this year, playing through a shoulder injury described by head coach Will Wade as “really bad,” Williams scored 17 points against Kansas, including a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime and the team’s first eight overtime points. That’s a guy who doesn’t back away from big games or big moments.
Playing as a power forward in most lineups at 6-foot-6, Williams uses his strength and width to create shots, which is difficult when nursing an injured shoulder. As a result, he’s taken a lot of contested jump shots with mixed results. Expect this problem to fade away once he’s at full health.
Already, against Boston College and Florida State, Williams spent more of the games backing down players and establishing himself as a physical presence. He is evidently more comfortable receiving double teams, turning the ball over only once in those situations. He also scored 20+ points in both games; motivated performances worthy of an ACC Preseason Player of the Year.
The last time a recipient of that award went on to win ACC Player of the Year was ten years ago, when Virginia’s Malcolm Brogdon pulled in both on his way to becoming the NBA Rookie of the Year.
It’s not fair to expect Williams to win ACC Player of the Year, although he does have other expectations to live up to as the 5th-highest-ranked player out of the transfer portal, according to 247Sports.
He’s on a good pace so far, averaging 20 points per game before hurting his shoulder and reaching that level of production in both of his last two games.
He’s also never been the first option on a team before, having played at Texas Tech with projected first-round pick JT Toppin last year and all-Big 12 honoree Pop Isaacs the year before that, so he’s playing a new role in opposing teams’ game plans. With that in mind, playing the way he did against Florida State and Boston College is all that can be asked of him.
Against Virginia — arguably his worst performance for the Pack so far — he only took eight shots and had one assist. The Cavaliers were able to keep bigger, stronger players on him for most of the game and he couldn’t impress one-on-one. However, the whole Wolfpack offense looked out of sorts. It’s hard to pin such a one-sided game on one player.
Williams’ chance to show improvement will come on the road next week against Clemson, who, like Virginia, will trot out a lineup of taller, stronger defenders. In his last two games, Williams has also played more of a role as a ballhandler in the offense, which can get him moving downhill and negate some of the traditional disadvantages he’d see offensively while maximizing his skill as a passer.
It’s too early for Wolfpack fans to panic. Williams shoots 3s well, has great vision, is an elite rebounder and much more. He lives for big moments and big games. He’s a “damn good player,” as Wade says.
