Boom breakdown: Sebastian-Williams Adams is a Tiger
Auburn's newest commit brings defensive versatility and efficient offense to the Plains
Sebastian Adams-Williams committed to Auburn today, giving Auburn its next great three-name forward.
On a more serious note, Williams-Adams is elite around the basket, has game changing defensive potential, a wingspan that screams future pro, and other good fundamentals to work with.
Williams-Adams’ player profile falls right in line with the likes of Chuma Okeke and Isaac Okoro, and he might just need a coaching staff that can highlight the rest of his offense enough to turn him into a draft pick.
As a junior at St. John’s in Texas, he averaged 21.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. He scored 30-plus three times and only scored in single digits once — in a 40 point win. During this past AAU season, he averaged 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game in 25.5 minutes on the Nike EYBL circuit.
He’s ranks as a consensus four-star, a top 60 player with a ranking high of No. 30 on ESPN, but I could see him blowing past those rankings with how well he fits Auburn’s playing style and his physical and athletic attributes.
Overview
Williams-Adams pops on film as someone who can get to the rim and finish at a high rate. He’s a menace as a downhill driver and rim runner in transition.
He has the ability to defend multiple positions in college, thanks to his 7-foot, 3-inch wingspan (per 247Sports’ commitment broadcast) and his awareness, speed, and coordination at 6 feet, 8 inches and 225 pounds. He will shine on defense from the jump with Auburn’s style of play and could be a breakout freshman depending on how he develops and how Auburn fills out its roster.
He’s great at driving to the basket off face-up looks on the perimeter or from the elbow, but he turns into a problem when he can get a head start — whether it’s on something like a dribble handoff or in transition.
His outside shooting has dipped in recent years. Auburn will give him a chance to do more there, and his shooting form and recent tape suggests he has the potential to.
He’s listed as a small forward by some outlets, but I think he’ll play power forward/4 at Auburn. With his ability to drive, process defenses, and pass, Williams-Adams can play the big guard/point forward role that has excelled under Bruce Pearl in the past. This spot will also help “hide” some of Williams-Adams weaknesses by letting him focus more on rebounding and defense while still showcasing his wing skills with the perimeter touches Auburn gives its point forwards. The way Auburn switches on screens will also let his defensive versatility shine in the four role.
However, Williams-Adams shows enough promise as a perimeter defender and facilitator that Auburn can play him at the wing if needed — which is likely where his pro potential lies if he doesn’t grow taller.
With where he’s at now though, he can use that perimeter skills to excel at the point forward position instead of learning on the fly as a wing.
Some strengths are already elite
The strongest part of Williams-Adams’ game is getting to the basket and making shots around the rim. He has a solid handle and a quick enough first step to get around bigs who defend him and he’s too powerful for guards to stay in front of him. When watching him play, it’s obvious that he’s as good of a downhill driver that you’ll find outside of maybe a few of the top five stars. And the stats back-up his driving ability.
Downhill driving is his most polished stat, and his wingspan and ability to finish through contact will let it translate to the college level, while his passing and awareness gives him true triple-threat potential. All the while, Williams-Adams is arguably even more intriguing as a defender.
He has elite defensive versatility based on his physical and athletic components and his processing. He plays smart and aware, he’s quick enough to guard wings and forwards on the perimeter, and he has a wingspan that rivals most college centers’. Mixed with his strength, Williams-Adams is also a promising post defender.
The four-star forward still has some work to do to unlock his elite overall defensive ability, such as adding some lateral agility, but it could be as simple as getting into a college weight room and on a team that has had a premiere defense for several years now.
Like Okeke, it could an extra year for Williams-Adams to develop the quick twitch needed to defend pro guards, but his wingspan and instincts will make him a terror in traps, passing lanes, and fronting the post from day one. The strength and speed he already has makes him dangerous as a defender in switches, and Auburn has shined when its fours and fives can defend on the perimeter. It lets Auburn nullify a lot of ball screen actions and even makes teams hesitant to run them to avoid having a big smother their ball handler. His defensive potential is exactly what Auburn looks for.
With Auburn’s track record of developing forwards and Williams-Adams’ intangibles, he has a high floor and high ceiling as a multi-year prospect. When factoring in Auburn’s incoming roster rebuild, he’ll also get a lot of minutes and opportunity early on — lessening the risk of him being one of these multi-year guys who blows up at a school he transferred to.
More than meets the eye on offense
Williams-Adams’ offensive potential isn’t as flashy as what he projects as on defense, but it is almost as versatile.
The forward can run ball screen offense as the ball handler or the roll-man, he can shoot better than he gets credited for, he can back players down in the post, drive, pass, handle the ball in transition, rim run, he moves well without the ball in his hand, and the list goes on. He just hasn’t shown it at a consistent enough rate to get much credit for it as a prospect. But, because of these traits, Auburn can find uses for him even if his driving and shooting abilities aren’t ready on day one.
His passing is one of the most impressive parts of his game and will make him a shoe-in for the passer on Auburn’s inbounds plays, which are a staple of Pearl’s offense. While not as promising as his defense or as polished as his finishing ability, he sees the court well and can pass out of the post, as a ball handler in ball screen offense, in transition, or while driving to the basket. This will let him excel in the point forward position, as Auburn likes to run offense through the position.
While I see Williams-Adams as more of a four at Auburn, he certainly has the potential to play on the wing with the way he passes and facilitates offense. That same potential could make him a nightmare of a mismatch at the four in college, especially once he polishes up some skills.
His ability to play bully ball and his flashes of a mid range game also match well with Auburn’s four role.
Williams-Adams has the potential to play just about any role that a college team could need him to play, besides point guard. Even then, his high school team lists him as a
”point guard, power forward.”
Improvements needed to be great
The biggest knock you’ll see on Williams-Adams game is his shooting and his promise as a productive piece on offense.
This critique compared to his game film reminds me so much of Okoro. In high school, Okoro’s offensive skills were heavily critiqued to the point of him not appearing on some draft boards. Auburn drew up things that showed off his skills, which his prep teams didn’t have to do because he was playing with several other future pros, and gave him more looks and a green light. Okoro took it and ran, started making threes and putting more off the dribble highlights on tape simply from having the looks and confidence. I think Williams-Adams has all the skills necessary to follow the same path. His jumper looks good when he pulls the trigger, his handle gets him to the rim effectively, and his passing and processing are great for his size.
Williams-Adams aligns more with Okeke and others fours than with Okoro, based on matchups and assignments, but the critiques and offensive ability are similar to what Okoro came to Auburn with.
He has a lot of work to do to make good shooting a consistent attribute. He does have some bad misses. On the other hand, he has a good shooting form and is good at finding soft spots in the defense. He’s also elite at drawing fouls with his anticipation and ability to play through contact, so taking that next step as a shooter in crucial.
By all accounts, Williams-Adams seems like a smart guy in any interview I’ve heard or read. I expect he’ll make some of those needed improvements by the time he gets to Auburn, but I think he has All-SEC (and potentially SEC DPOY) potential as a multi-year player.
What’s next for Auburn recruiting?
Auburn now has three commits in Simon Walker, Kaden Magwood, and Williams-Adams. All three are vastly different players, having a sniper at shooting guard, a creator as a combo guard, and Williams-Adams’ versatile and defensive mindset.
With Bryson Tiller going to Kansas, Auburn will likely focus the rest of its recruiting efforts on Shon Abaev from Overtime Elite. Abaev is an elite scoring wing who Auburn, among others such as Arkansas, has shown continued interest in.
Welcome SWA, looking forward to seeing you light up the court!