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University of North Carolina Athletics
Williams has led Carolina in assists five times this season.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
GoHeels Exclusive: Playmaker
December 7, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
Among the biggest questions surrounding the North Carolina men's basketball team entering this season was who could fill the shot creation void left by Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson.
Coby White, Nassir Little and Leaky Black all figured to help in that department. And they have so far. So has Seventh Woods, who is averaging a team-best 11.2 assists per 40 minutes after Wednesday's 97-69 win over UNC Wilmington.
But another player has emerged as a playmaker for the Tar Heels: Kenny Williams.
Williams finished with eight assists against the Seahawks, marking the fifth time this season he's led UNC in that statistical category. He accomplished that feat just four times across his first three seasons in Chapel Hill. Through nine games, he's posted 7.4 assists per 40 minutes. That's exactly twice as much as his career average (3.7).
"It's nothing I'm emphasizing," Williams said. "It's just the offensive flow of the game. None of the passes I'm making are super spectacular. They're just the right plays to make."
And they're coming in a variety of ways.
Williams' first assist Wednesday came after Cameron Johnson poked the ball out of Jaylen Fornes' hands. Williams corralled the ball, took two dribbles and then fired a half-court pass to Johnson for a transition layup. The rest of Williams' assists came in Carolina's half-court offense.
Three times he saw a mismatch in the post and fed Luke Maye (twice) and Sterling Manley (once) for easy buckets. In the second half, he made a nice touch pass to Garrison Brooks for a baseline jumper and also found Maye for a 3-pointer off a set play. The latter capped the Tar Heels' 30-3 run that put the game away.
But perhaps Williams' two best assists came midway through the first half.
On the first, Williams had the ball on the left side of the floor when he received a ball screen from Little. UNCW's Jeantal Cylla, Little's defender, hedged hard, forcing Williams away from the basket. But Williams spotted Little rolling to the hoop unmarked and dished the ball to the freshman for an easy dunk.
After the Seahawks went up 24-22 about four minutes later, Williams caught a pass from Maye in almost the same spot on the left side of the floor. He pump faked, dribbled once and passed to Johnson for an open 3-pointer from the top of the key. UNC never trailed again.
"He's making smart plays and getting guys shots where they like them," Johnson said. "He's distributing the ball well. It doesn't have to be anything super dramatic, with super flare. (They're) just solid plays.
"Those are eight solid plays right there," he said, pointing at Williams' assist total on the printed box score sitting in front of him.
With those eight solid plays, Williams has 44 assists this season. Those are the most by any player on Carolina's roster. The shooting guard ranks fourth in the ACC in assists, with the conference's top three leaders in that statistical category (Duke's Tre Jones, Virginia Tech's Justin Robinson and Pittsburgh's Xavier Johnson) being point guards.
Williams' 44 assists are also the most by a Tar Heel through the first nine games of a season since Kendall Marshall opened the 2011-12 campaign with 86.
Although Williams has struggled shooting the ball – he went 4-for-11 from the field Wednesday and is 23-for-62 (37.1 percent) this season – he's still made an offensive impact as a facilitator. But that hasn't protected him from his teammates' lighthearted teasing.
After exiting Wednesday's game with 5:43 left, Williams sat down next to Johnson and Maye, his roommates and fellow classmates, on the UNC bench.
"I was like, 'Man, y'all are really getting my assist numbers up,'" Williams recalled. "Cam got on me and said, 'You've gotta help us out a little bit.' I told them I'll help them out soon."
But for now, his playmaking skills are enough.
Among the biggest questions surrounding the North Carolina men's basketball team entering this season was who could fill the shot creation void left by Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson.
Coby White, Nassir Little and Leaky Black all figured to help in that department. And they have so far. So has Seventh Woods, who is averaging a team-best 11.2 assists per 40 minutes after Wednesday's 97-69 win over UNC Wilmington.
But another player has emerged as a playmaker for the Tar Heels: Kenny Williams.
Williams finished with eight assists against the Seahawks, marking the fifth time this season he's led UNC in that statistical category. He accomplished that feat just four times across his first three seasons in Chapel Hill. Through nine games, he's posted 7.4 assists per 40 minutes. That's exactly twice as much as his career average (3.7).
"It's nothing I'm emphasizing," Williams said. "It's just the offensive flow of the game. None of the passes I'm making are super spectacular. They're just the right plays to make."
And they're coming in a variety of ways.
Williams' first assist Wednesday came after Cameron Johnson poked the ball out of Jaylen Fornes' hands. Williams corralled the ball, took two dribbles and then fired a half-court pass to Johnson for a transition layup. The rest of Williams' assists came in Carolina's half-court offense.
Three times he saw a mismatch in the post and fed Luke Maye (twice) and Sterling Manley (once) for easy buckets. In the second half, he made a nice touch pass to Garrison Brooks for a baseline jumper and also found Maye for a 3-pointer off a set play. The latter capped the Tar Heels' 30-3 run that put the game away.
But perhaps Williams' two best assists came midway through the first half.
On the first, Williams had the ball on the left side of the floor when he received a ball screen from Little. UNCW's Jeantal Cylla, Little's defender, hedged hard, forcing Williams away from the basket. But Williams spotted Little rolling to the hoop unmarked and dished the ball to the freshman for an easy dunk.
After the Seahawks went up 24-22 about four minutes later, Williams caught a pass from Maye in almost the same spot on the left side of the floor. He pump faked, dribbled once and passed to Johnson for an open 3-pointer from the top of the key. UNC never trailed again.
"He's making smart plays and getting guys shots where they like them," Johnson said. "He's distributing the ball well. It doesn't have to be anything super dramatic, with super flare. (They're) just solid plays.
"Those are eight solid plays right there," he said, pointing at Williams' assist total on the printed box score sitting in front of him.
With those eight solid plays, Williams has 44 assists this season. Those are the most by any player on Carolina's roster. The shooting guard ranks fourth in the ACC in assists, with the conference's top three leaders in that statistical category (Duke's Tre Jones, Virginia Tech's Justin Robinson and Pittsburgh's Xavier Johnson) being point guards.
Williams' 44 assists are also the most by a Tar Heel through the first nine games of a season since Kendall Marshall opened the 2011-12 campaign with 86.
Although Williams has struggled shooting the ball – he went 4-for-11 from the field Wednesday and is 23-for-62 (37.1 percent) this season – he's still made an offensive impact as a facilitator. But that hasn't protected him from his teammates' lighthearted teasing.
After exiting Wednesday's game with 5:43 left, Williams sat down next to Johnson and Maye, his roommates and fellow classmates, on the UNC bench.
"I was like, 'Man, y'all are really getting my assist numbers up,'" Williams recalled. "Cam got on me and said, 'You've gotta help us out a little bit.' I told them I'll help them out soon."
But for now, his playmaking skills are enough.
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