The player with the most wins in the history of the Auburn men’s basketball program is heading to the NBA. Jaylin Williams has inked an Exhibit 10 contract with the Denver Nuggets after not being picked in the 2024 NBA Draft, as reported by Bennett Durando of the Denver Post
Auburn’s Jaylin Williams is getting an Exhibit 10 contract with the Nuggets, am told. #AuburnToDenverPipeline
— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) June 27, 2024
An Exhibit 10 contract enables a team to transition a player (typically on a non-guaranteed one-year minimum) to a two-way contract. Under this deal, a player can receive an Exhibit 10 bonus of a maximum of $50,000. If converted, the two-way contract is ensured for that specified amount.
Williams is set to participate in the NBA’s summer league with the Nuggets, but if the Nuggets opt not to retain him after the summer league, he is free to be signed by other teams.
As per Durando, the Nuggets have also inked a two-day contract with guard Trey Alexander from Creighton. Alexander, who was part of the 2021 recruiting class, initially committed to Auburn before eventually transferring to Creighton.
Nuggets trade Reggie Jackson, three future second-round picks to clear up cap space before free agency; Clemson's PJ Hall, Creighton's Trey Alexander sign two-way contracts https://t.co/kklcQC6hIt
— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) June 27, 2024
Williams gained prominence during the NBA pre-draft phase through his participation in a range of showcases and workouts held nationwide.
I've been doing this since 1978 and I know a Professional when I see and Coach one! J Will can affect the game at both ends, can guard 1-5, has NBA range and is a mismatch! Ranked in the top 75 players available, he should be taken in the top 60! @NBA https://t.co/wTXtlIZOL2
— Bruce Pearl (@coachbrucepearl) June 24, 2024
However, he didn’t feature prominently in many major draft rankings or mock drafts. Williams is one of the more senior players in the draft, having spent five years in college.
He completed his tenure at Auburn by setting program records for wins (114) and games played (141). He amassed a total of 1,305 points throughout his college career, ranking among the top 25 totals of all time at Auburn.
His most impressive season was his final one, during which he played a pivotal role in Auburn’s 2024 SEC Tournament championship-winning team. Williams averaged 12.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game in the 2023-24 season. Standing at 6-foot-8, the forward achieved the highest 3-point shooting percentage of his college career at 39.5%.
Williams’ season was almost derailed by a knee injury against Kentucky in February, which initially seemed more severe than it ultimately turned out to be. Instead, Williams was sidelined for a total of 10 days and missed just one game. Head coach Bruce Pearl praised Williams’ resilience and physical abilities.
In the 2023-24 Auburn team, Williams is the sole player set to move on to the NBA. Despite this, coach Pearl and his staff successfully persuaded star center Johni Broome to delay entering the NBA for one more year and continue at Auburn. Broome was the player from Auburn’s roster most likely to be chosen in the NBA Draft this past season.
Additionally, Auburn bid farewell to guard Lior Berman, who became ineligible after the 2023-24 season due to an ACL injury sustained against Mississippi State in March. Nevertheless, Berman intends to pursue a professional basketball career in Israel. The other departures from Auburn were all due to transfers, with Aden Holloway heading to Alabama, Tre Donaldson to Michigan, and K.D. Johnson to George Mason.
Auburn recruited two freshmen, 247Sports composite five-star guard Tahaad Pettiford and four-star forward Jahki Howard. In addition, the team welcomed transfer guards JP Pegues from Furman and Miles Kelly from Georgia Tech.
To fill the void left by Williams in the forward position, Auburn enlisted SMU transfer Ja’Heim Hudson.
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