NBA Draft 2011: What the Experts Are Saying About Derrick Williams

Derrick Williams proved to be one of the best players in college basketball all season long—his19.5 ppg and 7.1 rpg are proof of this. With a good outing in this year's NCAA tournament, there is talk of Williams being the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. 

Although not everyone is saying this, a lot of people are. Not to mention, most people think that Derrick Williams will be drafted in the top 10 of this year's NBA Draft.

Like it or not, a lot of the experts agree with Williams being drafted very high in this year's NBA Draft. Let's take a look at what the experts are saying about Derrick Williams.

NBADraft.net

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TULSA, OK - MARCH 20: Derrick Williams #23 of the Arizona Wildcats drives with the ball against Gary Johnson #1 of the Texas Longhorns during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at BOK Center on March 20, 2011 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

NBAdraft.net currently has Derrick Williams at the top of their 2011 NBA mock draft. 

It is becoming more and more clear that Derrick Williams may be the No. 1 pick in this year's NBA Draft. 

Jonathan Givony from Draftexpress.com

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ANAHEIM, CA - MARCH 24: Derrick Williams #23 of the Arizona Wildcats handles the ball against Mason Plumlee #5 of the Duke Blue Devils during the west regional semifinal of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Honda Center on March 24, 2011 i

Jonathan Givony from Draftexpress.com said this about Derrick Williams.

"Williams' productivity, coupled with the inconsistent performance of many highly-rated young prospects this season, has to be giving NBA scouts room for pause. While most people did not view him as a lottery pick going into the year (he was barely rated as a top 100 prospect coming out of high school) teams will have to start giving him strong consideration in the top 10 or even higher if he continues to play the way he has thus far. Williams will be getting looks from any team hoping to upgrade its offense at the power forward position, which happens to be the case with most of the worst teams in the NBA."

Although Williams was not rated very highly to start the season, he has performed very well and this has helped his chances of being drafted very high in the 2011 NBA Draft. 

NBA Analyst for ESPN.com's Scout Inc. David Thorpe

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ANAHEIM, CA - MARCH 26: Derrick Williams #23 of the Arizona Wildcats goes up for a rebound against Jamal Coombs-McDaniel #4 and Charles Okwandu #35 of the Connecticut Huskies during the west regional final of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at

NBA analyst David Thorpe says that Derrick Williams could be the safest No. 1 pick.

Here is what David says about Williams. 

"Williams is well-respected as a shooter, which helps him seal guys inside. It's so much harder to defend a post player who is a perimeter threat. Cheating outside to defend that threat gives Williams the seal opportunity. He impacts a game in every way and is by far his team's best player. Think about how he would play if he had another high-level player on his team. Say, Kyrie Irving and Nolan Smith as his guards—because those are the types of players he'll have in the NBA. Any team considering drafting Jared Sullinger will have to consider Williams. He has a great chance to be a better pro and might be a safer bet to not be a bust (some teams worry about Sullinger's body)."

As you can see, Thorpe considers Williams a very good player and he thinks that Williams will succeed in the NBA. 

ESPN Analyst Chad Ford

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ANAHEIM, CA - MARCH 24: Derrick Williams #23 of the Arizona Wildcats reacts after defeating the Duke Blue Devils during the west regional semifinal of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Honda Center on March 24, 2011 in Anaheim, California.

ESPN analyst Chad Ford has been following Williams along with the other top 100 prospects for the NBA Draft. He currently has Williams ranked No. 2 in his Top 100 Draft Prospects.

Here is what Ford has recently said about Williams.

"Derrick Williams has been steadily rising in our rankings all year. He began the season ranked No. 26 on our Big Board. In late December he cracked the lottery. In January we moved him into our Top 10 and in February we moved him all the way to No. 4 on our Big Board and we raised the possibility of Williams being the No. 1 pick in the draft."

"This weekend we raised him another two spots to the No. 2 position on our Big Board. Based on feedback from NBA scouts and GMs, we now believe Williams is in serious consideration for the No. 1 pick along with Duke's Kyrie Irving and North Carolina's Harrison Barnes. With all three players now out of the tournament, there should be a lively debate based on team needs and workouts about who is No. 1."

This is another ESPN analyst that considers Williams very highly when coming to the NBA Draft.