Peyton Williams Was A Rebounding Machine At Kansas State

This piece does not reflect the views of the Minnesota Lynx front office.

Peyton Williams: 6’4, F, Kansas State University

College Stats in 2019-20:

28 games, 35.5 MPG, 15.4 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 46.5 FG%, 26.3 3P%, 75.8 FT%

Where she’ll go:

At best, Williams will be selected late in the second round. She’s already come to terms with starting her career overseas, which would fit well with the anthropology degree she’ll earn at the end of the semester.

The Rundown:

Williams is somewhat of an anomaly.

Not only does the 6’4, 21-year-old use her height advantage on the basketball court, she’s also the Wildcats’ volleyball team’s starting middle blocker. Not to mention, she’s also an excellent student, which speaks volumes for her discipline.

But it’s no question that Williams’ best sport is basketball.

The forward has averaged over 30 minutes and 14.7 points per game since her sophomore season. She’s a career 49.4% shooter from the field and has even tried to add 3-point shooting to repertoire too, though she’s still a below 30% shooter from beyond the arc.

But scoring isn’t Williams’ greatest attribute. She averaged 9.5 rebounds per game as a junior then upped her average to 11.0 boards a night, giving her a nightly double-double average of 15.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. Not too shabby.

Williams has been a leader on her Wildcat basketball team ever since she was a sophomore and her chemistry with her teammates is demonstrated in her improved distributing averages. She averaged 2.1 assists per game as a junior and recorded a career-high 3.1 assists per game her senior year.

Yet, there’s reason to question how impactful Williams would be if she played for a more successful team.

The Wildcats finished 16-13 overall and 10-8 in Big 12 play, which was good for a fifth-place finish in the conference that featured five below-.500 teams and only one ranked team, No. 3 Baylor. Their regular season wasn’t enough to do it, but a postseason run from K-State may have given Williams the boost she needed to draw more attention to her game before the draft.

Now she’ll have to rely on her dedication to improving, which may not be enough to make waves in the WNBA.