AUBURN – The winningest player in Auburn basketball history is turning pro.
Jaylin Williams agreed to a deal with the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. Williams spent five seasons with the Tigers and participated in 114 wins, averaging 9.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in his 141 games.
Reports from Justin Hokanson of Auburn Live and Bennett Durando of the Denver Post noted that the deal is an Exhibit 10 contract, which allows the player to participate in training camp. Most of the money in Expo 10 deals is generally not guaranteed, but Williams will have the opportunity to earn a two-way contract.
Williams, listed by Auburn as a 6-foot-4, 245-pound offensive lineman, had a career year last season, helping the Tigers to the fourth-most wins in program history (27) and a NCAA tournament title. SEC. Williams scored 12.4 points per game and was super efficient, making 57.4% of his shots from the field and 39.5% of his attempts from beyond the 3-point arc.
Among SEC players who attempted at least 7.5 shots per game, Williams ranked first in field goal percentage.
Jaylin Williams positive points
Williams is the definition of a team player. In an era of college basketball that often sees players hit the transfer portal when things don’t go their way, Williams has been steadfast in his commitment to Auburn. It’s something Tigers coach Bruce Pearl has consistently praised Williams for, especially after the Nahunta, Ga., native stuck around despite five-star recruit Jabari Smith, who plays the same position, arriving on campus in 2021.
There’s also a certain sneaky athleticism about Williams, who shows off his leap from time to time with a ridiculous dunk. The two biggest examples of this came during the 2023-24 campaign, when Williams turned over a windmill on a fast break against Alabama in February and put a defender on a billboard against Georgia in March.
Jaylin Williams’ concerns
Williams isn’t the best on the glass, as his 10.1% rebounding percentage last season ranked 34th out of 42 SEC players listed at 6-foot-4 or taller, by College Basketball Analytics. If there’s one area of your game that needs improvement, it’s collecting more bugs.
Latest opinion on Jaylin Williams
An efficient, good-sized forward who proved to be a solid defender, Williams was seen by some as one of the most underrated prospects in the entire draft. As a true three-tier scorer – he made 78.4% of his shots at the rim, 53.3% of his midrange appearances and 39.5% of his 3-point shots last season – there is absolutely a path to Williams has a long professional career.
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached by email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared in the Montgomery Advertiser: Denver Nuggets sign Auburn basketball forward Jaylin Williams
