Why doesn’t Amari Williams dunk the ball more? UK’s center explains finishing at the rim
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Preview: Kentucky vs. Tennessee in NCAA Tournament
Click below to read more coverage from the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com ahead of Kentucky’s men’s NCAA Tournament game against Tennessee in Indianapolis on Friday.
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Last weekend’s opening-round NCAA Tournament action brought plenty of long-awaited jubilation to Kentucky men’s basketball fans.
There was little consternation regarding the results of the Wildcats’ first-and second-round games in March Madness. Mark Pope’s Wildcats eased past Troy and Illinois by commanding margins to earn a spot in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019.
But if there was anything UK fans found themselves shouting at the TV during Kentucky’s first two NCAA games, it probably had to do with the finishing of fifth-year center Amari Williams around the rim.
To be clear, Williams was an effective and useful presence in both of Kentucky’s wins last week in Milwaukee. The former Drexel standout had a game-high 13 rebounds in the Wildcats’ first-round win over the Trojans and he also led all players with 10 boards in the Cats’ round two victory over the Fighting Illini.
But despite these dominant performances on the glass, Williams’ finishing at the basket left plenty to be desired.
You may remember Williams’ coast-to-coast dunk that ignited the Wildcats during the first-round win over Troy. Even with that monstrous slam accounted for, Williams was recorded as going just 2-for-6 on dunks and layups against the Trojans. In the Illinois game, Williams went 3-for-6 on dunks and layups.
What gives?
Pope was directly asked by a caller on his weekly radio show Monday night about why Williams doesn’t dunk the ball more.
“Right now, one of the things that happens to Amari is he just sometimes gets a little sped up,” Pope said, while also citing this as a reason why Williams has been so effective this season for UK as a versatile 7-foot offensive presence. “... He’s under a tremendous amount of pressure from us to be a playmaker.”
“The one thing he would like to do is just slow down a little bit once he gets to the rim,” Pope later said. “Kind of get his feet under him and I think he will be able to do that. But that’s it. He’s playing so hard. Playing so aggressive. Playing with so much emotion, just him in those moments being able to slow down a little bit is going to be the key for him.”
During Kentucky’s open locker session Thursday before the Cats’ Sweet 16 game against Tennessee on Friday, the Herald-Leader spoke with Williams about what goes into his finishing process around the basket.
Williams said plenty about it is related to opposing big men.
“The Illinois game, he was 7-2,” Williams said in reference to Illinois sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic (the brother of former UK player Zvonimir Ivisic) who is listed at 7-foot-1. “So (I was) trying to figure out ways to go around him, or go through him. Dunking it over someone like that, it’s never going to be easy because of how physical he is.”
“... Just knowing what kind of player you’re going up against. A lot of them are just going to jump right up to the rim,” Williams added. “At that point, dunking isn’t even going to be an option. Just kind of working around players like that, just knowing what they want to do.”
Williams enters Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup against Tennessee with per-game averages of 10.8 points and 8.6 rebounds, while also shooting a career-best 55.7% from the field. He’s recorded this career-high shooting percentage while taking almost exclusively 2-pointers: Williams isn’t a 3-point shooting threat and has tried only four shots from deep this season.
“I feel like once I go in there, coaches say to slow down, pivot around and throw it above the rim,” Williams said of his approach near the basket. “I feel like that gives me a better chance (of making it).”
Ivisic was an obvious shot-blocking challenge for Williams on Sunday.
That kind of rim protection wasn’t offered by Troy in the previous game, though. The Trojans’ tallest player was 6-foot-9.
“I feel like that’s something I should have done all game, is dunk the ball,” Williams said after the Troy game. “A lot of my layups either hit the back rim or just fell short, just because I feel like of how the ball was. That’s something I’m going to be better at next game.”
Another tough defensive task at the rim awaits Williams and Kentucky on Friday against Tennessee.
The Volunteers are the third-best defense in the country per KenPom, and Rick Barnes’ club also has the sixth-best block percentage (15.7%) among all Division I teams.
Tennessee 6-11 junior forward Felix Okpara averages 1.7 blocks per game for the Vols, and 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Cade Phillips averages almost one rejection per contest.
Williams said Thursday that a key part of Kentucky’s scouting report for each opponent involves determining if opposing bigs are active shot blockers or not, and that helps him determine his scoring approach inside.
Of course, so much of Williams’ value to the Kentucky offense has nothing to do with his scoring ability down low.
Williams has improved his ball-handling skills over the course of the season and hasn’t had more than two turnovers in a game since March 1. His variety of skill moves on the perimeter and at the elbow allow him to operate as an offensive hub.
On the season, Williams is dishing out a career-best 3.2 assists per contest, and he’s tied with starting point guard Lamont Butler for the most total assists on Pope’s first Kentucky team with 112 helpers.
Friday
Kentucky vs. Tennessee
What: NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional round-of-16 game
When: 7:39 p.m.
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
TV: TBS
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Kentucky 24-11, Tennessee 29-7
Series: Kentucky leads 163-78
Last meetings: Kentucky won 78-73 on Jan. 28, 2025, in Knoxville and 75-64 on Feb. 11, 2025, in Lexington
