Terrance Williams joined the Michigan Wolverines and Juwan Howard on Jan. 1 and now becomes an even more important piece to the puzzle given what transpired with the recruitments of Josh Christopher and Isaiah Todd. Williams goes from being someone who might have to wait his turn to a player that could factor in as a freshman,.
Williams, a four-star prospect and the nation’s No. 86 overall prospect (247Sports Composite rankings), was committed to Georgetown up until Dec. 5 before backing out of his pledge and opening things back up. Howard and company pounced and were able to secure his services less than a month later on New Years Day.
Williams is the top-ranked player out of the Washington, DC area and is ranked as the 17th forward in the country. The thing that sticks out the most about his game is that he is a high-motor, high-energy player and that is a trait that is going to help him crack the rotation early as the other parts of his game come along.
When Howard talks about positionless basketball at Michigan, this is the type of player that fits the bill there. He can bang down low in the post while playing the four but also as the athleticism to play out on the perimeter and create offense. He rebounds well and is adept at crashing the glass. While he does not have a consistent go-to move in the post, he shows terrific touch around the basket and is able to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim.
Williams has range on his jump shot and the mid-range game is his bread and butter. He also has the ability to stretch the defense and hit shots from three-point range. There’s just a lot to like about his offensive game and he is a jack of all trades on that end of the floor.
Athletically, he is still coming around and is not quite as explosive as some of his peers in this recruiting cycle at the position. That said, he uses what he has extremely well and will only continue to grow once he gets into a college weight program.
With Todd backing out of his pledge to the Wolverines, Williams will be right there in the mix for minutes along with Isaiah Livers (should he decide to stay), Franz Wagner, Brandon Johns and Cole Bajema at either the three or the four.
Michigan’s recruiting classes moving forward might feel like they have sort of a one-and-done flare to them (despite what happened this year), but Williams is not one of those guys. He looks like a 2-3 year player that has a chance to be a solid building block moving forward.
Williams’ addition was an addition and gives the Wolverines a top-100 prospect to build around as Howard continues to craft the program in his image. He’ll need to continue to improve and develop physically, but looks like a guy who can stuff a stat sheet when he is on the floor.