Jaylin Williams has been Auburn’s season-long MVP. He might just be getting started.
While he might not grab the same headlines as his teammates, the young center has shown that he can be a "real mismatch" on both ends.
C Jaylin Williams (Vanderbilt Athletics)
Bruce Pearl didn’t want another press conference to go by without mentioning Jaylin Williams.
It was the Monday before Auburn’s road win at Vanderbilt. The Tigers were coming off of back-to-back home losses to Georgia and Ole Miss. Those were disappointing results for the program, and the final score overshadowed what Pearl had gotten from his sophomore center — 21 points, five boards, three blocks against Georgia and 16 points on 4-for-7 shooting from downtown against Ole Miss.
Pearl made sure those performances didn’t go unnoticed. He finished the answer to his final question, which was about pressure defense, with praise of Williams.
“Jaylin Williams, by the way, has been consistently really good, particularly on the offensive end,” Pearl said. “His practice habits have been really good. His attention to detail, he plays two positions for us. His value to our team, sometimes I don’t talk about it enough.
“But a fully engaged Jaylin Williams, wit…