Mark Pope praises the defense of the Tulane transfer
When Kentucky secured Tulane transfer Kam Williams, fans expected fireworks from beyond the arc. The sharpshooter arrived in Lexington with a lethal 41.2 percent career mark from three, tailor-made for Mark Pope’s fast-paced, floor-spacing system. He was billed as a sniper, plain and simple. But summer workouts revealed something surprising—Williams may be just as valuable on the other end of the floor.
On a recent podcast, Pope could hardly contain his excitement. “Kam Williams came in here as an elite, elite-level shooter,” Pope said. “By the end of the summer, we’re like—is he our top defender, our second-best defender, maybe our third? He’s that good.”
The numbers back it up. Williams led the team in DIM, or Defensive Impact Metric, a tool that evaluates far more than basic stats. DIM tracks contested shots, deflections, rotations, and turnovers forced—essentially everything that disrupts an opponent’s rhythm. Williams also tied for the team lead in blocks and ranked fourth in rebounding this summer, evidence of his toughness and versatility.
This evolution could not come at a better time. Kentucky desperately lacked defensive grit last season, too often getting bullied in the paint and beaten on the perimeter. Williams’ emergence gives Pope a rare weapon: a player who can space the floor with elite shooting and then lock down opposing scorers on the other end.
His Tulane numbers always hinted at two-way ability—averaging 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game—but under Pope’s system, his defensive game is blossoming into a cornerstone. For Big Blue Nation, it means more than just three-point fireworks. It means a player capable of setting the tone on both ends of the floor.
Kentucky recruited a shooter. What they got was a two-way anchor—a sniper who just might be the secret key to a championship run. It also didn't hurt he was just training with Steph Curry.