Darrion Williams has officially withdrawn from the 2025 NBA Draft. The Texas Tech star decided to withdraw from this year’s draft and currently enter the transfer portal. This comes after he earned First Team All-Big 12 honors as a junior for the Red Raiders.
Williams was one of several players to test the NBA draft waters while remaining in the NCAA transfer portal. He went through the entire NBA workout circuit while evaluating his options before officially removing his name from the 2025 NBA Draft contention on Tuesday, first broken by a report by CBS Sports.
Darrion Williams Withdraws From 2025 NBA Draft
Williams averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game for Texas Tech. He more than played his part in helping the Red Raiders reach the Elite Eight, which elevated his draft stock in the process. Now, he’s looking to remain in college basketball as he withdrew his name from the 2025 NBA Draft contention.
Sources: Darrion Williams has officially withdrawn from the 2025 NBA Draft.
Williams — who averaged 15.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 3.6 APG last season at Texas Tech — is currently in the transfer portal.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 20, 2025
In 100 career games, which include his freshman year at Nevada, Williams averaged 11.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.3 steals. The 6’6″, 225-pounder is rated as the third-best player remaining in the portal, behind only Memphis’ PJ Haggerty and St. John’s RJ Luis Jr.
Williams very well could return to Texas Tech for his senior year. However, he is expected to have very strong interest as he is the No. 1-ranked small forward available. The Kansas Jayhawks and the North Carolina State Wolfpack are among the leading programs to land Williams, should the Sacramento native decide to transfer.
The Jayhawks and Wolfpack are both in the market for small forwards. As they have lost plenty of players to the draft and the portal, both teams will need to do more than their part to rebuild their respective programs.
Williams is viewed by many as a versatile forward and a strong defender. However, he needs to work out his jump shot after shooting only 34% from 3-point territory in 2024-25. This marked the lowest percentage of his career. This could also play a part in why Williams decided to withdraw from the 2025 NBA Draft, he wants to improve his shooting.
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The NBA is a very three-point-heavy league now, even amongst the big men. Williams’ lackluster three-point shooting can be what causes him to drop in the 2025 NBA Draft. It’s a smart move on Williams to end to remain in college and see what he can do to improve to be a first-round pick next year.
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