Robert Williams says Wizards ‘could use a big like me’

When prospects enter the NBA draft, part of the process entails hearing the same questions and comparisons repeatedly as they travel from city-to-city.

Texas A&M’s Robert Williams, for instance, estimated he has been told he’s similar to Houston Rockets center Clint Capela at least a dozen times since declaring for the draft in March.

So when a reporter asked if Williams saw himself in any NBA player Monday after his solo workout with the Wizards, he smiled once Capela was brought up again.

“I knew you were going to say that, bro,” Williams said. “I watched him, he’s a great player. But everybody’s different. You can’t compare him to me.”

But there’s a reason the connection keeps coming up.

Like Capela, Williams fits the makeup of the modern NBA big-man: an athletic, rim-running forward who can protect the paint.

After two seasons at Texas A&M, Williams will be one of the league’s 20 prospects to attend Thursday night’s NBA draft in New York. The 20-year-old is projected to be selected somewhere in the middle of the first, meaning the Wizards have a shot to land him with the 15th pick.

The Wizards, lacking a center on the roster with Williams’ versatility, would seem a good fit.

“I definitely, I feel like they could use a big like me: a defensive stopper, athletic big,” Williams said.

Five years ago, NBA teams might not have viewed Williams as a center. At 6-foot-9, Williams has the body type of a “four,” and even played power forward in college.

But teams have moved away from lineups with more than one big man, which should help Williams at the next level. In the NBA, Williams will have more space on the floor, making the pick-and-roll a more effective weapon. Lobs and dunks will come easier for the forward.

At A&M, Williams wasn’t an offensive threat, averaging just 10.4 points per game last season. He shot 2-of-30 from deep in his two seasons and made just 54.1 percent of his free throws.

But Williams is valued for his rebounding and defense — particularly his ability to switch onto guards on the perimeter. He has a massive 7-foot-5 wingspan.

“Defense, whether it’s switching or blocking, I feel like that’s my strongest attribute,” said Williams, who averaged 2.5 blocks per game in college. “It’s just about embracing, willing to stop a guard. I’m having fun guarding them out there, so I feel like once you’re comfortable with it, you can get it.”

After the Wizards were eliminated from the playoffs, star John Wall expressed his desire for management to add an athletic big. The team’s current centers, Marcin Gortat and Ian Mahinmi, lack the athleticism to run up-and-down the floor.

And it’s no secret both are older. Gortat is 34 and Mahinmi is 31.

Williams, on the other hand, would be a much-needed shot of energy to the team.

Williams said it would be “amazing” to share the floor with Wall.

“He’s an elite passer,” Williams said. “He’s an elite guard. Coming off a pick and roll, you have to pay attention to him, as well as having to pay attention to me, so it’s a win-win situation.”