UNC Basketball: Kenny Williams 2016-17 season review

Sophomore guard Kenny Williams showed some flashes of being a productive player in UNC’s offense but his season was cut short due to injury

Brandon Robinson | Shea Rush | Tony Bradley Jr. | Seventh Woods | Luke Maye

Entering the 2016-17 college basketball season, the North Carolina Tar Heels had a lot of depth in the backcourt.

They returned Joel Berry, Theo Pinson, Nate Britt, Justin Jackson and Kenny Williams, with the additions of Brandon Robinson and Seventh Woods. It was a strength for a Tar Heels team that wanted to avenge a devastating loss to Villanova.

For Williams, the former VCU commit wanted to see his role increase from the previous season and become a key role player.

He did just that until an injury.

Season breakdown

Williams played in 26 games for the Tar Heels this season, starting in 22 of those and early on showed some improvement.

The sophomore scored a career-high 19 points against Radford on December 4, including going 5-of-6 from the three-point line. In non-conference play, Williams showed his sharpshooting skills and found ways to contribute.

More from UNC Basketball

• UNC Basketball: FIRST LOOK at Leaky Black in a Hornets uniform
• UNC Basketball extends offer to five-star Jasper Johnson
• UNC Basketball: Recruits taking unofficial visits to Chapel Hill
• UNC Women’s Basketball named captains for 2023-2024 season
• UNC Basketball: Pete Nance Signs With Cleveland Cavaliers

He was shooting the ball well entering conference play and saw his minutes increase. Williams scored 11 points in UNC’s comeback win over Clemson including scoring the last 4 points at the end of overtime.

Williams struggled a bit after that conference game and couldn’t find his shot from the three-point line. But he started to trend upward again, scoring 11 points in a win over Notre Dame.

His season was cut short when he suffered a knee injury in practice following UNC’s loss to Duke back in February.

Strengths/Weaknesses

Williams showed his shooting ability at times and it really helped UNC early on in the season. He can be a legitimate threat from downtown and a scorer.

While starting, Williams gave the Tar Heels another guy who could spot up and shoot the ball.

But the one weakness that stood out for Williams was his inconsistency.

When UNC entered conference play, Williams was shooting well. Then as the competition got tougher, he started to tail off.

For a starter, that cannot happen.

In 9-of-12 ACC games that Williams played in, he scored under 10 points. There were times he really struggled to get a shot off and even create for himself.

It’s something Williams will have to work on this offseason and find a way to stay consistent, giving UNC some production at the shooting guard spot.

As for his defense, Williams is a very solid defender on the wing. We saw times where Williams amped up his defense and helped lock down the perimeter.

Williams will use the offseason to continue to rehab and get back into basketball shape, which will include shooting. If he can somehow improve his jump shot and work on creating a shot for himself, he could see a standout season in 2017-18.

Future

Williams will enter the 2017-18 season in competition for the starting job. He will have the early advantage as long as he’s ready for camp.

The outlook for Williams is a perimeter shooter than can spot up and drain a shot from the outside for UNC. His perimeter defense will help him stay on the floor and his transition game will mesh well with UNC’s fast-paced offense.

Williams is a likely candidate to be a breakout player for the Tar Heels next season.