SANTA BARBARA, CA — Sometimes, scouting isn’t particularly complicated. Often, it’s a player being used in the same role in college that he’ll be asked to play in the NBA, and you just have to figure out if he’s skilled enough to do so at the next level. For instance, Ja Morant will be a primary offensive initiator in the NBA — the same thing he did at Murray State. R.J. Barrett will be a wing creator on offense, just like he was at Duke. The question is just what works and at what level.



But what happens when the way a player operates in college is not exactly the same role that he’ll be asked to play in the NBA? What if the role is vastly different? Well, then things get a little bit more complicated, and you have to look far beyond the surface level. It’s easy to envision something that you’ve seen before, but more difficult to use your imagination.



Projecting Tennessee wing/forward Grant Williams involves the...