The UCLA Bruins are headed into the 2024-25 NCAA season with a reloaded roster. The Bruins lost Adem Bona to the NBA Draft and also lost several key players in Berke Buyuktuncel, Jan Vide, Ilane Fibleuil and Will McClendon to the transfer portal. UCLA struck gold with their own transfer portal haul, but their success next season could hinge on internal development, particularly from forward Devin Williams.
Devin Williams is coming off a freshman season during which he played sparingly at UCLA. He was considered a four-star recruit coming out of Corona Centennial High School and he chose the Bruins over schools such as Cal, Washington, Xavier, Texas Tech, UNLV and San Diego State among others.
He was part of a somewhat highly-touted incoming 2023 freshman class for the Bruins, but as the season progressed he found himself buried on the depth chart. But despite not always being in the rotation, Williams made sure to keep himself prepared for whenever his number was called.
“Honestly the key is never being too down on yourself. You never know when there's going to be an opportunity and there's no such thing as garbage minutes because you can really use that to your advantage,” Williams told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “You just stay through it, stay through the pace, stay the course and it will all click at the end of the day.”
Devin Williams appeared in only ten games during his freshman year at UCLA. He averaged a little over three minutes of playing time with his season-high coming on Jan. 27 against crosstown rival USC when he played eight minutes off the bench. That was also Williams' best statistical game of the season with four points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field, one rebound and one blocked shot.
Overall, Williams averaged 1.4 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.1 blocked shots with shooting splits of 62.5 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from the free-throw line. Although he didn't figure much in the Bruins' rotation plans, there was still quite a bit he was able to learn about the college game.
“I learned a lot for sure. Being around Mick Cronin who is one of the best coaches ever, I learned a lot on the floor, off the floor, how to be a better professional,” Williams said. “I learned a lot from him and I'm excited to get it going for my sophomore year and see where it can take me.”
Devin Williams is one of UCLA's most versatile defenders
Perhaps one way Williams can impact games for the Bruins next season is on the defensive end of the court. Standing at 6 feet 10 inches and with a long wingspan and and good mobility, Williams is a versatile defender capable of covering multiple positions. He has the length and skill to protect the paint as a shot-blocker. He has the quickness and discipline to cover wings on the perimeter.
Before Williams even set foot on campus at UCLA, famed CBS college basketball insider Jon Rothstein compared him to Jaxon Hayes of the Los Angeles Lakers. Hayes is another long and mobile big man who has made his mark in the NBA as a rim-runner and shot blocker. Although Hayes can have lapses at times defensively, he's also shown an ability to switch on the pick and provide decent enough coverage.
Growing up through high school, Williams often defended guards and wings and that's a skill he takes pride in and believes can carry over to the college level. When he first came into high school he got a lot of reps guarding players on the perimeter and that helped set the foundation for his defense today.
“It's really just being able to move your feet,” Williams said. “I guarded a lot of guards growing up, especially when I was still growing. Obviously my freshman year in high school there was a lot of competent guards, so it just made me better overall. One on one, all around, it just made me better.”
Devin Williams' can space UCLA's offense with consistent shooting
In terms of Williams' offense, he's in the mold of the modern big man. That is, a big man that can score in the paint and finish around the rim effectively like a traditional big, but can also space the floor with consistent three-point shooting. Williams only took one three-point attempt during his freshman year at UCLA, but it's a legit part of his game.
During Williams' junior year in high school, he shot 44 percent from three-point range. The Bruins' rotation for the 2024-25 season is nowhere close to being decided upon right now, but Williams could make a strong case for increased playing time as one of the bigs on the roster who can knock down the outside shot.
Williams credits skill work with his dad growing up as the main reason why he was able to develop a consistent three-point shot, as well as his work with basketball development trainer Brent Summers who is based in Corona, CA, and former Corona Centennial star and Colorado Buff Shannon Sharpe.
“Over time, it developed over time. My pops used to put me through ball-handling drills and stuff like that, I used to do shooting drills with him all the time,” Williams said. “Even though I was a big, I was working on that stuff, so it translated over time. And working with people like Shannon Sharpe and Brent Summers all the time, that only improves it.”
UCLA is set to make their debut in the Big 10 Conference for the 2024-25 season and they've loaded up with talented transfers to bolster the roster. They also have a pair of solid incoming freshman in Harvard Westlake's Trent Perry, and Eric Freeny who attended Williams' alma mater of Corona Centennial.
UCLA appears to have a team that can contend in the Big 10, and if you ask Devin Williams, his goal for the team heading into next season is quite simple: “My mind is only on winning a national championship.”
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