Mike Williams III is a 6’ 3”, 181 pound shooting guard. He is a rising junior transfer from LSU (3-15, 14-18) of the SEC.
Williams is an example of how the transfer portal can hurt the players who stay. He had a solid freshman season in 2023-24, averaging 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 19.5 minutes a game. He played in 33 of LSU’s games as a freshman, and started 22 of them. There was a lot of buzz in Baton Rouge over how Williams was ready to take the next step and become a key part of LSU’s improvement.
Then Coach Matt McMahon went out to the transfer portal and got two additional shooting guards. After two terrible games to start the 2024-2025 season (0 for 7 in game one, four turnovers in ten minutes in game two) Williams saw a drastic decrease in playing time – Williams played in only six of LSU’s next fourteen games, for a total of 19 minutes. Williams even left the team for a day or two for personal reasons around Christmas. Williams got a second chance due to several injuries on LSU, and over his last six games averaged 8.1 points. He finished the season with 4 points, 1.4 rebounds and .7 assists per game.
LSU was a mess last season – after an 11-2 start, the Tigers got into their SEC schedule and finished 14-18 – one of only two SEC teams to miss the NCAA Tournament. McMahon is on the hot seat and that might have contributed to Williams losing minutes after two poor games. It is hard to tell if anything else contributed to his lack of playing time – it could just be that McMahon thought his new portal recruits were better than Williams and deserved (or were promised) playing time, or it could be a personality issue.
Or it could just be Williams poor play. He shot poorly from beyond the arc – 25% after hitting 37% of his threes as a freshman -- and he turns the ball over too much – in both his seasons at LSU, he had more turnovers than assists.
Coming out of high school, Williams was considered a versatile guard with good pull-up ability, and solid defensive skills. He did average more than one steal a game last season for LSU. His scouting report lauded his ‘improved’ shooting ability, which implies that it needed improvement. As a freshman, he took half of his shots from beyond the arc, but this was a total of only three shots a game. It is hard to think of him as another long range threat for the Pirates, especially with his poor sophomore season.
Interestingly, Mike Williams and Trey Parker have similar stat lines, but there was a lot of enthusiasm for Parker at NC State, while Williams’ departure from LSU brought on shoulder shrugs. Both were considered solid prospects out of high school, but Williams took a step back last season and consequently has more to provide this season. I think that Williams’ stock is low, and Seton Hall might have gotten him with nothing but upside. This might be a “Moneyball” pick-up for the Pirates, and maybe even a shooter at that.
Williams is an example of how the transfer portal can hurt the players who stay. He had a solid freshman season in 2023-24, averaging 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 19.5 minutes a game. He played in 33 of LSU’s games as a freshman, and started 22 of them. There was a lot of buzz in Baton Rouge over how Williams was ready to take the next step and become a key part of LSU’s improvement.
Then Coach Matt McMahon went out to the transfer portal and got two additional shooting guards. After two terrible games to start the 2024-2025 season (0 for 7 in game one, four turnovers in ten minutes in game two) Williams saw a drastic decrease in playing time – Williams played in only six of LSU’s next fourteen games, for a total of 19 minutes. Williams even left the team for a day or two for personal reasons around Christmas. Williams got a second chance due to several injuries on LSU, and over his last six games averaged 8.1 points. He finished the season with 4 points, 1.4 rebounds and .7 assists per game.
LSU was a mess last season – after an 11-2 start, the Tigers got into their SEC schedule and finished 14-18 – one of only two SEC teams to miss the NCAA Tournament. McMahon is on the hot seat and that might have contributed to Williams losing minutes after two poor games. It is hard to tell if anything else contributed to his lack of playing time – it could just be that McMahon thought his new portal recruits were better than Williams and deserved (or were promised) playing time, or it could be a personality issue.
Or it could just be Williams poor play. He shot poorly from beyond the arc – 25% after hitting 37% of his threes as a freshman -- and he turns the ball over too much – in both his seasons at LSU, he had more turnovers than assists.
Coming out of high school, Williams was considered a versatile guard with good pull-up ability, and solid defensive skills. He did average more than one steal a game last season for LSU. His scouting report lauded his ‘improved’ shooting ability, which implies that it needed improvement. As a freshman, he took half of his shots from beyond the arc, but this was a total of only three shots a game. It is hard to think of him as another long range threat for the Pirates, especially with his poor sophomore season.
Interestingly, Mike Williams and Trey Parker have similar stat lines, but there was a lot of enthusiasm for Parker at NC State, while Williams’ departure from LSU brought on shoulder shrugs. Both were considered solid prospects out of high school, but Williams took a step back last season and consequently has more to provide this season. I think that Williams’ stock is low, and Seton Hall might have gotten him with nothing but upside. This might be a “Moneyball” pick-up for the Pirates, and maybe even a shooter at that.
