Projecting Kentucky's starting lineup following start of summer workouts
By Alec Lasley
5. player. 528. Starters. . 6-10, 230 lbs. Amari Williams. Amari Williams. Center.
This one seems like one of only a few locks at this point. Barring anything unforseen this summer, Williams should likely be the starting center for Kentucky. And, he has the skillset to be a real threat on both ends of the floor.
Williams, the first transfer commit of the Mark Pope era at Kentucky, is a 6-foot-10, 230-pound center who averaged 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game this past season. He finished with 10 double-digit rebounding games and eight double-doubles.
Williams is best known for his defensive ability and shot blocking. He led the CAA in blocks last year for the third straight season and has averaged 1.8 blocks per game over the course of the last three years. He had a block rate of 8.3 percent this past season and 8.7 percent for his career.
What makes him an ideal threat in a Mark Pope system is his ability to pass the ball, however. And, Pope has raved about is since he officially signed with the Cats.
“Offensively, he is dangerous at the rim and he’s one of the special passers in college basketball," Pope said of Wililams. "Amari can make all of the reads, all of the passes, all of the plays and he fits into exactly what we want to do on either end of the court.”
He will give Kentucky a very good foundation of consistency at the center position.