Cam Williams comes to Duke for his freshman season with a lot of expectations. The 5-star recruit and top-ranked power forward in the 2026 signing class is seen as a capable replacement for Cameron Boozer, who followed in the footsteps of Cooper Flagg by winning the Wooden Award as the best player in college basketball.
Despite all of the 6-11, 200-pound Williams’ strengths, one NBA analyst isn’t precisely high on the Phoenix native’s draft status next year.
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“I get it,” Jamie Shaw of On3 wrote. “The positional size, intriguing athletic traits, and the shooting touch; it is all there, front and center with Cam Williams. I am intrigued to see how it looks at Duke this season. He did a lot of his work away from the basket in high school, shooting over the top of most players he stepped on the floor with. He played a little upright, oftentimes losing leverage, and he was an inconsistent rebounder and poor defender. Yes, Williams should play in the league. The traits are there. He is listed at 7-foot-0, and he does have shooting touch from beyond the arc. Does he progress enough with his game to warrant a top-10 pick? He could get there; the traits are unique and desired. For right now, though, in the 2027 NBA Draft he would be outside of my top-10.”
Luckily for Williams, he has a full season at Duke playing against some of the top teams in college basketball to prove Shaw wrong. As for right now, it would be wise to wager that Williams will be the next star for the Blue Devils and another early pick in the draft.
This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: NBA analyst not sold on Cam Williams’ draft stock
