Celtics to get Kentucky center Amari Williams with 46th pick in NBA Draft

The Boston Celtics reportedly traded the 32nd pick in the 2025 NBA Draft for picks 46 and 57. With the 46th pick, the Magic selected Kentucky center Amari Williams.

Because the deal can't be made official until the true start of the 2025-26 NBA season on July 6, Williams is technically a selection of the Magic, but he will become a Celtic once the trade goes through.

A true big man, Williams stands at 6-foot-10 and weighs 227 pounds. He played his first four years of college ball at Drexel, before transferring to Kentucky for his senior year. In his one season with the Wildcats, Williams averaged 10.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game, while averaging 22.8 minutes. He shot a career-best 56.1% as a senior.

Here are some of the most notable items from Williams' scouting report at HoopsHype:

-- "High-IQ passer from the top of the key and low block; averaged 3.2 assists per game and consistently found cutters with impressive timing and angles."

-- "Very effective as a finisher in the dunker spot and around the rim (64% FG in halfcourt); uses length and touch well off his left hand."

^{Amari Williams}

-- "Aggressive offensive rebounder with long arms and good instincts (2.1 OREB per game)."

-- "Smart and active defender who uses length and hand activity to contain guards backing into the paint."

-- "Struggles with lateral quickness and foot speed; gets exposed in space and can’t contain ballhandlers on switches or closeouts."

-- "Despite good passing instincts, Williams is turnover-prone when trying to do too much; ball-handling is not tight enough to push in transition."

-- "Defensive scheme fit is tricky, must stay in deep drop coverage, but teams with spacing bigs force him into bad recovery angles and slow rotations."

So, Williams should always have a chance to play in the NBA with his sheer size and specialized skill set. But his iffy athletic traits and defensive drawbacks give him lots to work on to develop into anything more than a reserve/rotational big at this level.