This offseason, Texas Tech basketball fans are keeping a close eye on one player above all the rest: Darrion Williams. Set to be a senior in 2025-26, he has entered both the transfer portal and the NBA Draft, leaving his future in question.
This week, Williams truly began testing the NBA waters by conducting workouts with individual organizations. The first was his hometown Sacramento Kings, whom he worked out for on Monday. He is also set to visit the Milwaukee Bucks later this week.
What's more, Williams was recently announced as one of 75 players invited to participate in the 2025 NBA Draft combine. That event will be held in Chicago, Illinois, from May 11 to 18.
After his on-court activities with the Kings, Williams met with the Sacramento media, who were excited to see a local product get a shot to impress their city's only professional sports franchise.
"It's a dream come true, honestly," Williams said, "This is my first workout, so I'm happy to be at my hometown. I grew up by the old ARCO [Arena], so my mom used to work there, so I used to go to a lot of games, so it's a surreal feeling, but it's a blessing."
Of course, Williams is trying to earn an opportunity to live out his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA. He admitted that his nerves were high in the beginning, but that he realized he was just doing what he knows how to do.
"I was nervous at first," he said, "but as we kinda got going, I kinda realized that it's just basketball. But just being able to put the Kings jersey on has always been a dream of mine, so it was good."
What makes Williams a potential NBA pick is his versatility and all-around game. He talked about how that is what he wants to display during the draft process.
"Just being versatile," he said. "Being able to pass, score, shoot, rebound, defend, do all the things, whatever's necessary.
"Just prove that I can do a multitude of things. I can handle the ball, I can pass, I can play off the ball, on the ball, whatever the coach needs."
Finally, Williams reflected on Texas Tech's Elite Eight run in March. Like most Red Raiders, he doesn't seem to be over the fact that his team came up just shy of reaching the Final Four.
"It was fun for sure," he said, "Obviously, getting that deep, I wish we could have went a little bit farther, but we made a good run. Playing against top guys just helped me see what kind of level I need to play at, and I feel that I was able to step up my game when I needed to, and hopefully that showed throughout the time."
Most Texas Tech fans believe that Williams is unlikely to return to Lubbock, especially given all the moves the program has made this offseason, including bringing in players who seem to be a replacement for what he brings to the table. Thus, the best scenario for Red Raiders might be for Williams to improve his stock enough to warrant staying in the draft.
While Tech would love to have him back for another season, it would be painful to watch him play for another school (especially if that other school was in the Big 12), and therefore, the most desirable outcome for people in Raiderland is that Williams gets his NBA opportunity this summer. So here's hoping that Williams impresses as he makes the rounds through the NBA Draft process.