Kenny Williams: What Impact Will He Have in Year One?

Kenny Williams could potentially make a substantial impact his freshman year, but his success may not be shown fully in the box score.

There is always room for people who can put the ball in the basket.

The 6’2″, 165 pound shooting guard is smooth and has a crisp jumper.  According to Horran Cameron, another writer here at Keeping It Heel, Kenny Williams resembles a mixture of Wayne Ellington and Hubert Davis – easily two of North Carolina’s most prolific shooters ever.

So what does this mean?  While shooters can be the most valuable players on the court, they can also be misused if they don’t obtain the proper role in the offense.  Kyle Korver, for example, was always considered a great shooter, but he has become most successful on a team where the offense runs a majority of their sets through him.

And while Williams can create his own shot by coming off ball screens and making a move by his defender occasionally, a big concern is whether Williams will be able to make a significant impact on the few opportunities he gets, as he will most likely not be North Carolina’s centerpiece next year.

Per Bret Strelow of Fayobserver.com, Roy Williams thinks the smooth shooter can bring more to the table than just strictly outside scoring.

"“He has a tremendous ability to shoot the ball, which will really help us. The first time I watched him play, he certainly impressed me with the way he made shots, but he also took three charges and showed an outstanding all-around game.”"

His all-around game may get him on the court, but it will take a team effort for Williams to become a consistent offensive threat.

Taking a step back, it would be unfair of me to limit Williams’ impact to his pure shooting ability.

Marcus Paige will probably handle most of the outside scoring again, and North Carolina’s brand of inside-out basketball from 2014 will probably sustain through the coming year, but Williams will be able to do a few things to improve the Tar Heels.

For starters, he will be able to speed up the pace of the game.  North Carolina was best this past year when they were in transition; it’s Roy Williams basketball.  Kenny Williams will provide another outlet for Meeks (or any other Tar Heel rebounder) to throw the ball to on the fast break, and will open up a few driving lanes while the Heels are in transition.

Williams will also prevent excess double teaming on the block when the Heels are in the half-court, as the opposing defense will always need to account for him.  Plus, you will also need to consider that North Carolina will now have an array of outside scoring – complementing the sometimes over-worked and under-appreciated Marcus Paige.

Joel Berry II started to catch fire towards the end of the year from three, and Justin Jackson has improved his jumper immensely since their loss to NCAA tournament loss to Wisconsin.

Sherrell McMillan of Inside Carolina gives an inside scoop of Justin Jackson’s off-season workout regimen (including his strength development schedule).

"This summer, Jackson’s intensive stint at home is combining weight room workouts and skill development. He joins a number of other college standouts at Lucas’s gym for four group sessions a week that each exceed two hours, plus he works one-on-one with Lucas for two 90-minute sessions per week that focuses solely on shooting."

Kenny Williams will not be North Carolina’s only shooter to complement Marcus Paige next year.  In fact, he may not even be the next best option.  Fortunately for Williams, however, he is not one-dimensional, and can affect the games in so many other ways than scoring.

Williams’ success will be reflected in the team’s success, which according to preseason suspicion, could be great.