Former High School Phenom Unlikely To Be A First Round Draft Pick

Remember when Mikey Williams had more Instagram followers than most NBA players, and you couldn’t check out YouTube highlights without seeing his name plastered on mixtapes, all before he even started high school? The kid from San Diego was supposed to be the next big thing. Three million followers. A Puma deal at seventeen. LeBron James and Kevin Durant were admittedly watching his highlights. The hype was everywhere.

Now he's at Sacramento State, averaging 17.8 points for the 4–11 Hornets in the Big Sky Conference, and NBA draft experts are delivering some tough love. The Athletic's Sam Vecenie flatly dismissed the thought of Williams becoming a first-round pick despite basketball social media accounts trying to drum up the narrative.

The journey here has been brutal. Williams never suited up for the Memphis Tigers following his high school career after facing gun charges, in which he eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. Entering the transfer portal, Williams headed to the University of Central Florida, where he averaged just 5.1 points in limited minutes. Another round of the transfer portal has seen him now get yet another fresh start under Mike Bibby's coaching and Shaquille O’Neal’s general management, a program that has never sent a player to the NBA.

While his individual numbers look decent on paper, most NBA scouts aren't buying it. Scouting reports describe him as more of a showtime player than an effective guard, someone with questionable shot selection who needs to develop his passing and feel for making smart plays. That's not the type of play that gets one selected in the first round, or drafted at all, especially when you're doing it against Big Sky competition rather than Power Five programs.

While they may garner a lot of clicks and likes, highlights don't necessarily equate to NBA-ready skills. Williams still has the athleticism and scoring ability that made him famous, but translating viral dunks, fancy dribbling, and one-on-one play into consistent production against elite defenders is a different game entirely. Most projections have him as likely undrafted.

It's a cautionary and realistic tale about the difference between potential and reality. Social media fame at fifteen doesn't guarantee professional success at twenty-two. While this doesn't mean that Williams won't get an opportunity at the NBA, the path is not as clear and glamorous as many assumed it might be.