A few weeks back, Ohio State senior-to-be guard Kam Williams was reportedly removing his name from NBA Draft consideration and returning to school for his final year of eligibility. After the ubiquitous Jon Rothstein cited Buckeyes head coach Thad Matta, all sounded good, in terms of the Buckeyes’ best chance for some actual upperclassman leadership and guard depth.
But then Williams took to Twitter and vehemently denied the report, stating that nobody ever bothered actually checking with him.
It would seem the drama is a thing of the past, as early Wednesday, the deadline for players to either cement their 2017 NBA Draft status or elect to return to school if they hadn’t hired an agent, Williams posted to Instagram a pretty clear indication what the 2017-2018 season holds in store:
Williams’ numbers weren’t mind-blowing last year, but he was effective upon being inserted to the OSU starting lineup late in the season. He finished the campaign averaging 9.4 points per game, 2.1 boards and an assist per contest.
Perhaps most importantly, Williams provides some long-range shooting ability, something the Buckeyes have lacked in recent years. He also provides important depth at guard, which is more important now that JaQyan Lyle has left the program.
Will adding a senior guard to the mix do enough to change what could be a long season? That remains to be seen.