Derrick Williams (basketball)

Derrick LeRon Williams (born May 25, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was considered one of the top prospects for the 2011 NBA draft before being selected with the second overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Williams was born in La Mirada, California and graduated from La Mirada High School.

Williams originally committed to play at the University of Southern California. He was quickly recruited by first-year head coach Sean Miller at the University of Arizona.

Freshman year

As a freshman Williams averaged 15.7 points per game and was named a freshman All-American and the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.

Freshman year honors:

• Fred Enke Most Outstanding Player (Team co-MVP)
• All-Pac-10 first team

Sophomore year

Williams rose to national prominence in his sophomore year. He averaged 19.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. During the 2011 season, Williams led the NCAA in True Shooting percentage (.690) and Effective Field Goal percentage (.650), helping lead the Arizona Wildcats basketball team to a regular season PAC-10 championship. Williams was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year.

Williams also contributed to the Wildcats' run in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. He made a critical block with less than 2 seconds against Memphis. He had a 3-point play against the Texas Longhorns, which advanced the Wildcats to the Sweet 16 of the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. Williams then had a career high 32 points along with 13 rebounds to lead Arizona in an upset victory over the #1-seeded Duke by a 16-point margin to advance into the Elite Eight, where they fell 65–63 to the future NCAA tournament champion, Connecticut. At the end of the season he was projected to be one of the top picks for the upcoming NBA draft.

Sophomore year honors:

• Pac-10 Player of the Year
• All-Pac-10 first team
• Three time Pac-10 Player of the Week
• USBWA District IX Player of the Year
• Wooden Award's 10-player All-America team in 2011
• First-team All-American by Sports Illustrated
• Second-team by the Associated Press in 2011.
• Second-team by Sporting News
• Second-team by the United States Basketball Writers Association
• Second-team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches
• Second-team by Fox Sports.

College statistics

Minnesota Timberwolves (2011–2013)

Williams announced that he would declare for the NBA draft on April 13, 2011. He was selected with the second overall pick by the Timberwolves in the 2011 NBA draft. During the NBA lockout of 2011, he spent the summer at the University of Arizona taking summer classes to finish his degree. Shortly after the draft, Under Armour signed an endorsement deal with Williams. Derrick joined several other notable NBA players for an exhibition game in the Philippines during the summer of 2011.

Williams participated in the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge along with teammate Ricky Rubio. However, Williams played for Team Chuck, while Rubio played for Team Shaq. Williams also participated in the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest.

Williams scored a season high 27 points on February 28, 2012 in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers. He made 9 of 10 shots from the field and 4 of 4 from three-point range. He led the Timberwolves to victory over the New Orleans Hornets with what was then a career-high 28 points on March 17, 2013.

Sacramento Kings (2013–2015)

On November 26, 2013, Williams was traded to the Sacramento Kings for forward Luc Mbah a Moute. He made his debut on November 29, 2013, finishing with 12 points (on 6-for-13 shooting), six rebounds and four assists in a 104-96 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. On December 9, 2013, Williams scored a career-high 31 points in a victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

In the Kings' 2014–15 season finale on April 15, Williams scored a season-high 22 points in a 122-109 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

New York Knicks (2015–2016)

On July 9, 2015, Williams signed with the New York Knicks. He made his debut for the Knicks in the team's season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 28, scoring a game-high 24 points in a 122–97 win. On January 12, 2016, he recorded his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds in a 120–114 win over the Boston Celtics. The next day, he tied his career-high of 31 points in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

Miami Heat (2016–present)

On July 10, 2016, Williams signed with the Miami Heat.

Regular season