Apricot's 2025 NBA Draft Tournament Group B: Kam Jones, Amari Williams, Sion James, Steven Crowl

GSW invited all of them for pre-draft workouts

The index piece for Apricot’s 2025 NBA Draft Tournament is here. It describes the selection process, our stellar history of voting, why BPM is important, how Apricot’s Clunky Comps works, and all other gory details.

Intro: The Draft Tournament is to help you enjoy the draft

The tournament is designed for people who are not draft experts to catch up at a casual pace on prospects in the Warriors range. For this reason, I have sliced it up into a series of smaller votes instead of a massive 16+ player scouting report. These will be spaced out over the next few weeks until the NBA Draft.

The ultimate goal is for you to develop opinions and attachments about the different prospects, so you can

• argue with others,

• dream about the future,

• enjoy the draft with more suspense and emotional investment,

• be angry that your favorite wasn’t selected,

• and then in the future tell everyone how you had it right and the drafters were a bunch of idiots.

Despite our stellar track record, it’s unlikely we’ll guess exactly whom the Warriors will draft.

So it’s time for more! The Warriors have MIA’s second round pick at #41. Normally, you might say, why bother even thinking about this pick, because, in that range, the chances that the draftee will make an NBA roster is quite small.

However, the Warriors have really set the bar high, with

• 2024 #52 pick Quinten Post (feisty stretch 5 and stroopwafel enthusiast),

• 2023 #57 draft pick Trayce Jackson-Davis (solid big man and occasional starter) and

• 2022 #55 pick Gui Santos (energy guy and very occasional spot starter).

And yes yes everyone always wants to trade the pick for someone ready to contribute. Please don’t be obvious and boring and suggest that.

That’s like going to Disneyland and explaining that everyone there is exploited labor and that feline leukemia is the #1 killer of cats.

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Group B

Here are some scouting reports to help you vote on which of these prospects is the best for GSW to draft.

Kam Jones, Marquette, 6-4, #31 BPM

• BR 2025-05-28 #38, ESPN Givony 5-30 #47, TheAthletic 2025-06-10 #32, Yahoo O'Connor 5-30 #42

• The Ringer Mann 6-10: Jones exploded out of the gate this past season and then cooled a bit as time rolled on, ultimately finishing at just 31.1 percent from 3. That said, he did enough in years one through three at Marquette to keep him in consideration, especially once you take note of the fact that his overall percentage this past season was largely torpedoed by an increase in dribble pull-up 3s. Tyler Kolek’s table setting and Oso Ighodaro’s screening and short-roll playmaking both moved on to the NBA last year, eliminating two avenues of easy-peasy offense for Jones. As a result, the decent but not spectacular athlete had to take tougher shots and was depended on significantly more as a playmaker. With NBA talent around him again, Kam projects as a plug-and-play older guard who can chip in sparingly somewhere in an extended rotation.

• Yahoo O'Connor 6-13: Jones offers crafty combo guard skills with advanced shot creation and a blossoming playmaking feel. But his so-so athleticism and streaky shooting paint him as just a cog rather than the rare star upperclassmen set to enter the league. Still, the Kings could use more creation especially if they have some departures this summer, such as DeMar DeRozan or Domantas Sabonis in a trade.

Apricot: Clunky Comps is a hacked together spreadsheet. It doesn’t mean to insult prospects with its math-driven comparisons. But sometimes it does.

Update (2025-06-15): Kam Jones did change his game (more inefficient pull-up jumpers reportedly) in 2025 since the creators on his team (Kolek and Ighodaro) left for the NBA. So, I ran the Clunky Comps for Kam Jones 2024, and this is what I got. Kam shot 40% 3P that year which got more intriguing comps like Kispert and Buddy Hield. Nonetheless, his FT% is a worry; I’d want to see it 80%+ before believing in plus NBA three point shooting.

Amari Williams, Kentucky, 7-0, #44 BPM

• BR 2025-05-28 #50, ESPN Givony 5-30 #60, TheAthletic 2025-06-10 #75

NBA.com

Overview
Amari Williams is center from Nottingham, England, who played the 2024-25 season with the Kentucky Wildcats after transferring from Drexel University. During his graduate season at Kentucky, Williams averaged 10.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 56.1 percent from the field. He started all 36 games, leading the team in rebounds and field goal percentage, and tied for the team lead in assists with 115, the most ever by a 7-footer at Kentucky. Williams achieved a rare statistical milestone, becoming only the second player in SEC history to record at least 375 points, 300 rebounds, 100 assists, 40 blocks, and 20 steals in a single season. He also posted 10 double-doubles, including eight in SEC play, and notched a season-high 22 points against Arkansas and 15 rebounds against Tennessee. Prior to his time at Kentucky, Williams was a standout at Drexel, where he was a three-time Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time First-Team All-CAA selection.

Analysis
Williams is a physically imposing big man with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, known for his defensive prowess and basketball IQ. He excels as a rim protector and rebounder, using his length to alter shots and secure boards. His defensive versatility enables him to guard multiple positions effectively. Offensively, Williams is a capable playmaker from the high post, demonstrating strong passing instincts and vision. He serves as an effective facilitator, often initiating offense and finding open teammates. While not a primary scoring option, he is efficient around the rim and can finish plays as a lob threat. Williams’ leadership and unselfish play have been lauded by coaches and teammates.

Projection
Williams projects as a reliable rotational big man at the NBA level, capable of contributing as a defensive anchor and facilitator. His combination of size, defensive acumen and passing ability makes him an ideal fit for teams seeking a versatile center who can impact the game on both ends of the floor. A realistic NBA comparison for Williams is Jakob Poeltl of the Toronto Raptors – a tough and skilled center who contributes with defense, passing and efficient scoring around the basket. Currently, Williams is projected as a second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

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Apricot: The Clunky Comps aren’t that bad. There are a number of decent backup centers and even a Nic Claxton. And what Clunky needs to realize is that Amari is one of the most fun chaotic big men to watch. He has excellent court vision and is a passer with flair. He also loves to dribble, enjoying running early offense and driving more than you’d think for a shot blocking big with no jumper.

Sion James, Duke, 6-6, #71 BPM

• BR 2025-05-28 #57, ESPN Givony 5-30 #46, TheAthletic 2025-06-10 #38, Yahoo O'Connor 5-30 #46

• The Ringer Mann 6-10: I know, I know, you’re probably thinking about the catastrophic inbounds passes in the Final Four, but before all that, Duke’s season really seemed to take off when James moved into a more prominent role. That’s true for a few simple reasons: Even though he’s not the kind of defensive playmaker who pops off the screen, James is an eager defender with a herculean, almost laughably powerful build for a 6-foot-6 guard, and his performances against better competition confirmed that he processes the action on offense fast enough to route the ball where it needs to go. He’s also repeatedly proved that he’s dedicated to keeping the ball moving on offense. James is not an upside play—he probably won’t grow into anything beyond a low-usage role player who does “winning things.” But those offerings can add up to the kind of player that a team would like to have around.

• Yahoo O'Connor 6-13: So far in this mock the Magic have drafted two forwards in Clifford and Fleming since both of them can shoot. Here, they get a wing in James, who can become a dead-eye, spot-up shooter. And he brings much more than shooting as a crafty playmaker who keeps the ball moving. He’s also a versatile defender who sets a tone with his hustle.

Apricot: This is the first time that Clunky Comps couldn’t find a comp within 0.80 similarity, so I lowered the threshold. Some intriguing names with some less so.

Perhaps the reason for the rarity of Sion James is the combination of a high BPM from good-great shooting (38% 3P last year, 41% this year ), good AST/TOV ratio, and ORTG with very solid defense BPM and… a tiny usage of 17.1. I imagine players with such good stats usually get more shots and touches in the offense. So… can his number scale to a more central role once he’s off a stacked Duke team starting four other NBA draft prospects? Or are his numbers from playing on a stacked team? Only time will tell.

One might say that Sion James would be a role player in the NBA anyway, so he’s already used to it. However, I was struck by this Boris Beric article talking about how most successful role players in the NBA actually were good high usage players who took on a smaller role that they were overqualified for. And even at Tulane before Duke, Sion was never above 17% Usage Rate. But if Sion were a sure thing, he’d never be under consideration for a second round pick…

Steven Crowl, Wisconsin, 7-0, #82 BPM

NBA Scouting Live

Pros:

Excels at scoring on off-ball motion plays
Fairly solid low post scorer
Adequate shooter for a big man, has stretch big potential
Fairly solid playmaker for his size
Decent rebounder
Adequate defender
Above average athlete

Cons:

Can be too passive on offense
Not an elite rebounder
Not an elite shot blocker
Struggles to guard quicker players
Not an elite athlete

Summary:

Steven Crowl is an agile, energetic center that currently plays for Wisconsin. He excels at scoring off motion plays, and he is a good passer for his size. He’ll need to improve his rebounding and defense, but he is a smart, skilled big man that could end up making his way to the NBA someday.

Apricot: Steven Crowl is 7-0 and shot for his career 38% 3P and 78% FT, but on low volume. His DBPM (+2.9) is good but not standout and his steals and blocks are pretty eh as well. In short, he was very productive in a role and the hook would be his potential Stretch 5™ qualities.

Clunky Comps isn’t buying the Crowl phenomenon. There’s a Dean Wade buried in the list and I don’t see much else. Why would Clunky insist that Nate Bittle (other Tourney prospect) is a Stretch 5 and Crowl is not? (1) Clunky is a clunky hack; (2) Crowl shot 4.8 threes per 100 possessions and Bittle shot 6.5. You can’t stretch if you don’t shoot it; (3) I don’t get it.

And yet, here is a reality check. What does Clunky think about Quinten Post comparisons? We see Filipowski, Hall, Robinson, Kaminsky, Vucevic, Aldama, Olynyk… lots of bigs with a good jumper. So even though, as the Clunky creator, I see how poorly thought out its algorithm is, it does seem to know something sometimes. In fact, Clunky is one of the reasons I put Post into the 2024 Tourney.

And Clunky is not convinced Crowl is an NBA stretch 5. But hopefully GSW will learn more via the pre-draft workout, and who knows, maybe there’s a steal in here. Or at least someone to grow in the G-League.

How To Vote

Simply vote in this embedded poll. If you are moved, you can make a COMMENT VOTE that counts as 10 votes. However, I will not count any vote unless it has

• some justification of your vote

• exactly one hashtag with the last name of your candidate, #JONES, #WILLIAMS, #JAMES, #CROWL.

  • I know many of you are very creative, but any deviations from these instructions will make my life harder and annoy me.