Williams Completes Rookie Season
4/15/2019 10:09:00 AM | Men's Basketball
FORT WORTH, Texas – It had been five years since a former TCU player had appeared on an NBA roster until 2018 graduate Kenrich Williams debuted for the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 17.
Undrafted, Williams played on the Denver Nuggets' NBA Summer League team before joining the Pelicans on July 24 and from there, worked his way on to the opening day roster. The Waco native finished his rookie season with averages of 6.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
Kenrich Williams Rookie Season Notes
· Made his NBA debut at Houston on Oct. 17.
· His 4.8 rebounds per game were the eighth-most by a rookie this season.
· His 29 games started were the sixth most by a rookie in franchise history and the most-ever by a Pelicans undrafted rookie.
· Scored his first NBA points on Nov. 1 with five on 2-of-2 shooting at Portland.
· Scored a career-high 21 points against Denver on Jan. 30.
· Recorded his first double-double in the NBA with 10 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high seven assists at Memphis on Feb. 9.
· Since the all-star break, Williams averaged 6.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. His 1.74 steals per game since the all-star break was the best among NBA rookies.
· Was the only rookie this season to record multiple games of at least five steals.
· Was one of four rookies this season to record at least 10 games this year of 30 or more minutes without a single turnover. He's the only Pelicans rookie in franchise history to accomplish this feat.
· Was one of four rookies in NBA history to record at least 20 points, eight rebounds, five 3-pointers and two blocks in a game when he totaled 21 points, eight rebounds, five threes and two blocks against Denver on Jan. 30. The other three players to do so were Rodrigue Beaubois, Stephen Curry and Marcus Smart.
· Williams' 21 points at Denver come on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 from 3-point range.
· Recorded a career-high 16 rebounds at Houston and became the first player since Blake Griffin with 16 or more rebounds in one of his first 15 career games. Williams was one of seven rookies this year to record at least 16 rebounds in a game.
· Was one of 20 rookies in NBA history and the only rookie this year to record at least five steals and three 3-pointers in a game when he did so against Toronto on March 8.
