Sophomore Kam Williams thought it was more important to rest his foot than get evaluations by putting his name in the NBA draft

Kentucky sophomore Kam Williams had the option to put his name into the NBA Draft, go through the draft evaluation process and still be eligible to return to UK. However, the 6-foot-8 wing player decided against that process after breaking his foot in January, missing 13 games and then playing limited minutes in postseason play.

“He is just trying to relax. He wants his foot to be 100 percent healed so he can relax and not rush and train too hard, get hurt in the NBA draft process and have that interfere with next season,” Greg Williams, Kam’s father, said. “He doesn’t want to be seen as injury prone.

“He broke his foot and worked hard to come back and play this season. That should show he’s a warrior who wants to play.”

There was also one other factor that went into the decision.

“This is a deep draft. You have a lot of young kids who did well (last season) and a lot of veterans who played well,” Greg Williams said. “If he came out this draft , he would be a second round pick.

“The goal is to be a lottery pick or late first round pick. Don’t throw years away guessing. The plan is to come back and have a great year team-wise and individually and then go to the draft and show teams what they want to see.”

Williams transferred from Tulane to Kentucky last season and was mentioned as a potential first-round pick in the 2026 draft before the foot injury derailed his season. He insisted he wanted to return to UK and backed up his words by re-signing with the Cats without putting his name into the transfer portal.

“Kam wants to show he is a 6-8 guy with midrange and 3-point shooting ability but that he can also penetrate and score or dish the ball off,” Greg Williams said. “That could make him a top five, top 10 pick with guaranteed money and a guaranteed roster spot.