DraftExpress.com analyst on Derek Willis’ NBA stock

[Bungalow Bill]

Darius Miller combine stats, 6ft 6 without shoes. Since they don't play ball in just socks, he plays at 6ft 7.5in They measured him with a 6ft 9 wingspan, 8ft 6.5 standing reach, and 8.5 hand length and 8.7 hand width. He also weighed in at 233.4 pounds and 7.5% body fat.

And Willis has a longer wingspan by 3 or 4 inches, hasn't got a ounce of fat and bigger measurements of the hand(he palms the ball like a grape fruit) but that's not really important to my argument that he can possibly carve out a niche where Darius couldn't. It's not that I don't think Darius was a very good player( better just not way better than Willis) it's that his abilities did not translate to a roster spot in the league. There are hundreds of guys his size with better measurables that can hit their head on the rim. It's about finding a role and I think it's possible Willis could do that. I realize he could also end up overseas if he's lucky. It's up to him how much work he wants to put in. He's got a ways to go.

 

[Hoskins91]

He needs to get better for me to feel comfortable saying he'll start. I think he'll contribute, but as he is now the freshman would have to be disappointing.

 

[WitnessGreatness]

I think Willis gets drafted 2nd round whenever he goes and can last for many years if he can defend 4s at an average level. He can't play the 3 in NBA and his ability to defend 4s is what will get him to stay in the league.

 

[RondoBaller21]

I completely disagree . He will be the starter at SF and one of the leaders . I think next year's team will be his and Briscoe , who I also think comes back. I do think Lee is gone one way or another. There is zero chance Willis goes to another college team as he bleeds blue and is a starter now so if he leaves it is to go pro.

Next year is Fox, Monk and Bam team. Also, Willis probably won't start over Gabriel if he's as good as they're saying.

 

[BigBlueFanGA]

Meh, doubt it. That's not a knock on him but again...Darius Miller couldn't make it and he's a way better player, only an inch shorter but still in the sf spot, as good as shooter, stronger, better off the dribble and better all around skills. Willis is more of a spot shooter right now. He will continue to get better, but still needs to work on alot of things..like not being in such a rush and squaring himself and continuing to work on his defense. I'm not sure he could defend someone face up at the next level.

There are some significant differences between the two. First, Willis is 2 inches taller with a 3 inch difference in wingspan, those are real numbers. Miller is 6'6" barefooted, Willis is 6'8". Did you realize Willis has a 7' wingspan? Thats 3" more than Miller. That is a big deal in the NBA. Darius was strictly a wing who wasn't a strong rebounder. His best year was 4.6/game. Willis is much better than that at this point. Shooting is pretty similar from the outside. I think Willis will be fine in the NBA. Darius did get to play 3 years in NBA. I think Willis will double that. His height and rebounding are the difference.

 

[BigBlueFanGA]

Next year is Fox, Monk and Bam team. Also, Willis probably won't start over Gabriel if he's as good as they're saying.

Senior experience makes up for a ton of raw skills. Early Willis will certainly start. I have no doubt of that. At some point that may change but it won't matter. If he continues playing with this level of effort, he will be playing 20 minutes per game, who cares if he starts or is the 6th man.

 

[5iveStarRecruit]

1. Fox
2. Monk
3. Willis
4. Gabriel
5. Bam

While Willis is a stretch 4, we dont have a legit option at SF next season.He's more skilled from deep than Gabe, so he can fill the void at SF. No problem w/ this starting lineup.

He's gonna return. While he's starting to get noticed, he's ranked nowhere on big boards. And even when he is, its gonna be outside the top-60. He needs a bigge sample size to prove to scouts he's a NBA prospect since he's been under the radar for so long.

He has enough skills, ATL + size to become a 2nd round prospect. Pretty cool to witness the rise.

 

[Bluegrass79]

Willis can play in Europe and China easily. He can make 7 figures over his lifetime. The rebounding prowess would be pretty damn good in China lol.
If you can shoot and rebound you can make 6 figures somewhere in the world nowadays. A player from UK would get looks all around the world. China knows about UK players. Morris and Harrelson have been China league MVP's over there

 

[RondoBaller21]

Senior experience makes up for a ton of raw skills. Early Willis will certainly start. I have no doubt of that. At some point that may change but it won't matter. If he continues playing with this level of effort, he will be playing 20 minutes per game, who cares if he starts or is the 6th man.

It's a good problem to have, no doubt

 

[Aike]

1. Fox
2. Monk
3. Willis
4. Gabriel
5. Bam

While Willis is a stretch 4, we dont have a legit option at SF next season.He's more skilled from deep than Gabe, so he can fill the void at SF. No problem w/ this starting lineup.

He's gonna return. While he's starting to get noticed, he's ranked nowhere on big boards. And even when he is, its gonna be outside the top-60. He needs a bigge sample size to prove to scouts he's a NBA prospect since he's been under the radar for so long.

He has enough skills, ATL + size to become a 2nd round prospect. Pretty cool to witness the rise.

Willis is also more skilled from deep than Briscoe, but Briscoe is the 3 in our lineup.

It's semantics, but I tend to label guys based on who're they're guarding. I suspect that Gabriel will draw the assignment of guarding threes, but we'll see. Matthews may also draw that responsibility.

 

[cal=8]

Unless Willis just goes nuts between now and April 1, I just don't see him leaving after this season. This is really the first real playing time he's had since he's come to UK, so he's just getting into the groove, in my opinion. The potential is there. His confidence is up. But he needs some experience at this level and more time to polish things up. I would be surprised if he left after this year, not because I think he'd flop but because I think another year at this level would do him so much good. And I know he'd have more competition next season, but is there any doubt he's gonna be on the floor a lot next year, even with the influx of talent? I have no doubt at this point. From what I can see of next season's class, Willis will likely be needed as a shooter as much as anything else. He might be playing the 3 next year, which is where he fits in the NBA, in my opinion.

I agree, Willis has earned his PT, he's very coachable and is improving game by game. As much as he's improved and let me say he doesn't get the credit he deserves for his athleticism I predict he goes around #22 in next years draft. Basketball IQ, Size, pretty damn good athleticism and a very good shooter will give him a chance to do something special. He's got the tools.. Now can he accomplish what I've just stated? That's up to Derek. In my opinion he COULD be that good.

 

[UKDUNK]

Wills and it won't be close. Wiltjer will be a total bust in the NBA. He is just too slow to compete.

Kyle will not be a bust. Nobody will draft him thinking he's a future star. He will be drafted to knock down threes off the bench. The NBA is not a fast paced league and very few players really play any defense anyway, so Kyle will be fine.

 

[Stonewall12]

No, he wasn't being jerked for no reason..he was bring pulled bc of his laziness on defense at the time. Harrellson also had to earn his playing time, that entire story is pretty documented of how hard he worked after he saw no time his junior yr.

That is not entirely accurate.

 

[Aike]

Kyle will not be a bust. Nobody will draft him thinking he's a future star. He will be drafted to knock down threes off the bench. The NBA is not a fast paced league and very few players really play any defense anyway, so Kyle will be fine.

The NBA IS fast paced and guys who can't guard anyone get attacked at will.

 

[bluesundown]

Interesting hypothetical...better NBA career.

Derek Willis or Kyle Wiltjer?

Not to dog Kyle but Willis better defense

 

[5iveStarRecruit]

Kyle will not be a bust. Nobody will draft him thinking he's a future star. He will be drafted to knock down threes off the bench. The NBA is not a fast paced league and very few players really play any defense anyway, so Kyle will be fine.

Be honest, you dont watch the NBA.

 

[kybassfan]

Not to dog Kyle but Willis better defense

Very true. If Wiltjer had read the memo like Willis did, he'd have been fine. No defense, no minutes.

 

[stoneycat_20]

If Willis will put in the work he can get paid, but he has to put more time in the weight room..Needs to add 15-20lb's then his defense will get much better..At UK it only takes a big NCAAT to get drafted

 

[Chuckinden]

I can't begin to tell you how backwards this is. It wasn't owed to Willis to let him have extended PT. If that's the case, why not let Hawkins play more? Why not let Skal "play through it."
There are NBA folks that thought Skal was the #1-#2 pick.
They STILL think Skal Is a 1st rounder, and in some case a top 10 pick. Cal isn't just playing him in spite of 0 production. What makes you think he did it with Willis?

It makes perfect sense that Willis finally played well and earned more PT. But, you spin it to fit the narrative that YOU, in your infinite basketball wisdom called it. You're so smart you told everyone else.

But the reality is, you didn't. You wanted Willis to play. He is. Shut up and be happy.

I never said he was "owed" anything. I said all he needed was to be able to play without being jerked after a mistake. I also said, he was forced into the lineup because of Skal's non performance, just like Josh was when we didn't really have another big man. Willis has shown he could play (against pros) in the Bahamas. I'm not saying he's a superstar. He's not, but he has shown he can provide valuable minutes when given ample opportunity. I didn't "call it". Lots of people said the same thing because it was obvious. Hawkins is just not good and he and Skal have been given ample time to show they can play, but it's not happened yet. Terrible analogy.

 

[yoshukai]

That would probably be a more productive use of your time than you artificially inflating Willis NBA chances. I'm getting old. Tough to spend 12 - 14 hours on the lake these days.

Well you haven't read anything I said about Willis's NBA chances .

 

[WitnessGreatness]

Wiltjer would get lit up in the league very very badly. It's fast paced, and playmakers would seek out Wiltjer every single time down the court.

 

[BreckCo.Wildcat]

Willis set for 2 years waiting to contribute for the wildcats. He is currently living out a dream. He will come back next year, contribute and win # 9.

 

[BBUK]

Willis set for 2 years waiting to contribute for the wildcats. He is currently living out a dream. He will come back next year, contribute and win # 9.

Dang I wish UK had a chance this season...oh well...

 

[Uk1111]

Penciling Willis in as a starter for sure, is as foolish as the vast majority of this board saying thatMiller Starts over MKG! It was stated as a fact that there's NO WAY that a frosh starts over a 3 year starter, and when I pointed out all of MKG skill set, attitude, and motor I was told I was an idiot, lol.
Willis is great, and he may start, I even conceeded that Miller might start over MKG, even though I didn't see it. It's naive to just pencil in a player when there's studs like MKG( in the past to compete with Miller ) and Gabrial, and Bam coming in who all have reps as players with high motors which Cal loves, and that's not Willis' strong suit.

 

[BBUK]

Penciling Willis in as a starter for sure, is as foolish as the vast majority of this board saying thatMiller Starts over MKG! It was stated as a fact that there's NO WAY that a frosh starts over a 3 year starter, and when I pointed out all of MKG skill set, attitude, and motor I was told I was an idiot, lol.
Willis is great, and he may start, I even conceeded that Miller might start over MKG, even though I didn't see it. It's naive to just pencil in a player when there's studs like MKG( in the past to compete with Miller ) and Gabrial, and Bam coming in who all have reps as players with high motors which Cal loves, and that's not Willis' strong suit.

Another Noseydumbass or is that Nostrilitus...jk, jk....playing with words..no ill intent.

 

[UKDUNK]

The NBA IS fast paced and guys who can't guard anyone get attacked at will.

James Harden is likely the worst defender in basketball, yet he's a multi year all star. Devin Booker was a pretty poor defender for us last year, but he's pretty much a lock for first team all rookie and is on the verge of stardom especially if he competes well in the three point shoot out tonight. A few of the elite teams focus on defense but the vast majority of the league is all offense.
As far as pace, NBA teams walk the ball up the court 95% of the time. That's why 60 year old guys like Andre Miller and Dirk Nowitzki can still compete with 19 year olds.

 

[STL_Cat]

Kyle will not be a bust. Nobody will draft him thinking he's a future star. He will be drafted to knock down threes off the bench. The NBA is not a fast paced league and very few players really play any defense anyway, so Kyle will be fine.

No chance this guy watches NBA basketball.

 

[Aike]

James Harden is likely the worst defender in basketball, yet he's a multi year all star. Devin Booker was a pretty poor defender for us last year, but he's pretty much a lock for first team all rookie and is on the verge of stardom especially if he competes well in the three point shoot out tonight. A few of the elite teams focus on defense but the vast majority of the league is all offense.
As far as pace, NBA teams walk the ball up the court 95% of the time. That's why 60 year old guys like Andre Miller and Dirk Nowitzki can still compete with 19 year olds.

Harden is elite, and can get away with not playing much defense. But he is physically capable of guarding guys when he wants to.

The average college game is played around 70 possessions, or 1.75 possessions per minute.

The NBA team currently playing at the slowest pace is Utah. Their 95 possessions per game is nearly 2 per minute.

So even the slowest NBA teams are quite a bit faster than the average college team.

 

[UKDUNK]

No chance this guy watches NBA basketball.

I watch quite a bit of NBA basketball actually. Enough to know that outside shooting is HIGHLY valued at that level, especially with bigs. Kyle will get a look. If he can hit 40% from three in the NBA he will stay on a roster regardless of any other deficiencies.

 

[Blue Decade]

This might sound strange, but I'm wondering if they will want to tweak his shot a little bit. Other than that, he's got the length, athleticism and size to make it. It may come down to how bad he wants it and if he can carve out a specialty.

Willis has great range on his shot. But he can't hit the side of a barn unless his feet are set and he is squared up to the basket. He doesn't have any midrange offensive skills. But his shooting range is good enough that he could score from the NBA perimeter if he has time to get set. Willis has improved as a rebounder by working harder to get inside position. He doesn't get to the line enough because he isn't very physical, but he is a lights out free throw shooter. But Willis is still a terrible defender. To become a fringe NBA prospect, he must get physically stronger and improve as a defender. He will need to improve his transition game, although I am seeing progress this year. Willis has a fan club on this board that thinks he is the 2nd coming of Jamal Mashburn and gets their underwear in a big wad if anyone says different. The truth is that Willis is starting because Lee has regressed, Labissiere has been a bust, Humphries is at an early point on his learning curve. But I will say this much for Willis. He is our only big who has shown significant improvement in 1 aspect of his game - rebounding in Willis' case. Injuries have hurt us all year, but Willis has taken the pounding and stayed healthy since recovering from a November injury. He gets to a lot of 50-50 balls because he hustles. These are leadership qualities that you like to see from a home state product. I don't know how much Willis will play next year, but he has certainly made progress and worked himself into the conversation. A few months ago, I didn't expect to say that.

 

[STL_Cat]

I watch quite a bit of NBA basketball actually. Enough to know that outside shooting is HIGHLY valued at that level, especially with bigs. Kyle will get a look. If he can hit 40% from three in the NBA he will stay on a roster regardless of any other deficiencies.

You also said its not a fast paced league and no one plays defense. Both wrong. Wiltjer won't sniff the NBA for more than a season or two. The guy will get absolutely abused by every team's opposing offense. He won't be able to guard anyone.