Kenrich Williams — Two-Way Profile (3 Seasons)
Source: BBall Index (bball-index.com) — written with the Basketball Analytics Expert Sage active.
The Question
The honest framing question for Kenrich: what does a 31-year-old veteran whose composite impact reads as roughly replacement-level (LEBRON in the -0.6 to -0.1 band across three years) actually contribute to a contender's deep rotation, and what does OKC absorb to keep him on the floor for the ~15 minutes he plays each night? The composite is the floor of his value; the question is whether the role-context contributions (positional size, defensive flexibility, screening, secondary playmaking) carry value the per-possession composite under-reads.
The samples are uniformly modest (~900-1,100 minutes per year, all at OKC), so the multi-year composite is the right way to read it: the trends are stable, the talent layer is improving, the role is stable, and the data has a clear take on what he is.
Part 1: The Big Picture
The composite picture is steady-state. LEBRON has gone -0.59 → -0.13 → -0.18 over three years — a roughly-replacement-level role player whose impact has hovered just below zero. The split is the cleanest possible read: D-LEBRON is mildly positive (0.05 → 0.25 → 0.17) across all three years, and O-LEBRON is mildly negative (-0.64 → -0.39 → -0.34). The defense pays for some of the offensive cost; the net is just-below-replacement.
The encouraging trend is Offensive Talent, which has gone -1.55 → -0.82 → -0.62. That's a meaningful three-year improvement. The talent layer says the player has gotten better even as the headline composite has stayed flat — the LEBRON isn't capturing the talent improvement because the role hasn't changed (Usage 13.4 → 15.4 → 18.3, low band) and the lineup contexts haven't favored him.
Minutes Per Game at 15.27 is in his three-year band (14.91 → 16.40 → 15.27). Coach Mark Daigneault has played him essentially the same amount each year — a stable, designed role that the staff hasn't pushed past 16 MPG and hasn't dropped below 15.
| Metric | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | Read |
|---|
| LEBRON | -0.59 | -0.13 | -0.18 | Steady — just-below-replacement |
| O-LEBRON | -0.64 | -0.39 | -0.34 | Slightly negative, improving |
| D-LEBRON | 0.05 | 0.25 | 0.17 | Mildly positive across years |
| LEBRON WAR | 1.20 | 1.65 | 1.22 | Capped by minutes |
| Offensive Talent | -1.55 | -0.82 | -0.62 | Three-year improvement — the quiet trend |
| Minutes Per Game | 14.9 | 16.4 | 15.3 | Stable designed role |
| Usage Rate | 13.4% | 15.4% | 18.3% | Slowly rising |
Part 2: The Offense
The 3PT shot — the steady-state load-bearing skill
The offensive job is to space the floor and make the secondary read, and the data says he is doing the spacing job at a stable level. 3PT % at 38.76% sits in a remarkably tight three-year band (39.72 → 38.60 → 38.76). Stable FG3% is similarly pinned (38.00 → 37.07 → 36.96) — the prior is ~37%, and the headline percentage has been just above the prior across all three years. There is no shooting-percentage story here beyond "he is exactly the shooter the model thinks he is."
3PT FGA Per 75 at 5.60 is steady across years (5.06 → 5.52 → 5.60), and 3PT Attempt Rate at 43.58% is down a bit from prior years (50.4 → 48.3 → 43.6) — a smaller share of his shots are threes this year, which fits the slightly higher Usage Rate (he's doing more inside the arc on the marginal possession). C&S 3PT Shooting Talent at 0.21 is steady-positive across all three years — he is a real catch-and-shoot threat at modest volume.
| Metric | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | Read |
|---|
| 3PT % | 39.7% | 38.6% | 38.8% | Stable inside ~38-39% band |
| Stable FG3% | 38.0% | 37.1% | 37.0% | Prior pinned at ~37% |
| 3PT FGA Per 75 | 5.06 | 5.52 | 5.60 | Steady volume |
| 3PT Attempt Rate | 50.4% | 48.3% | 43.6% | Slightly less 3PT-heavy this year |
| C&S 3PT Shooting Talent | 0.25 | 0.21 | 0.21 | Steady-positive across years |
Connector — the secondary value
The 25-26 sample shows the cleanest version of his connector profile. Box Creation at 3.46 is a three-year high (2.12 → 2.55 → 3.46) — he is creating more for others than at any prior point. Playmaking Talent at -0.27 is improved from -0.69 (23-24); Passing Creation Quality at 0.29 is positive across the OKC era (-0.07 → 0.31 → 0.29).
Screening Talent is in the high band (80th percentile or better across three years) — the contact-and-angle skill that frees teammates is genuinely valuable, and the talent layer reads above-average. On-Ball Gravity is in the 80s percentile — defenses are paying him meaningful attention with the ball, presumably from the high-post hub and DHO actions OKC runs through him in second-unit groups. He isn't a star, but he is a connector whose secondary touches produce value.
Finishing Talent at -0.44 and Rim FG% at 63.4% are both in the soft band; he is not a finisher and never was. The role doesn't ask him to be — the offensive value is the perimeter shot and the connector pass.
| Metric | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | Read |
|---|
| Box Creation | 2.12 | 2.55 | 3.46 | Three-year high — connector growth |
| Playmaking Talent | -0.69 | -0.25 | -0.27 | Improved from rookie band |
| Passing Creation Quality | -0.07 | 0.31 | 0.29 | Positive at OKC |
| Finishing Talent | -0.88 | -0.21 | -0.44 | Not a finisher — fits archetype |
| Rim FG% | 68.2% | 68.6% | 63.4% | Below average |
Part 3: The Defense — The Quiet Positional Value
Wing/forward versatility — the core trait
The defensive value is in the versatility, not the on-ball stopping. D-LEBRON at 0.17 is mildly positive across three years (0.05 → 0.25 → 0.17). Perimeter Isolation Defense at -0.25 is in a slight-negative band — he is not a stopper at the perimeter. Ball Screen Navigation at -0.75 is below average; like most non-elite wing defenders, he can be hunted in a screen action.
What he does have is Defensive Positional Versatility at 88.91 — a three-year high, and a high reading across all three years (85.7 → 87.9 → 88.9). He can credibly defend across 3, 4, and small-5, which is the load-bearing trait that lets OKC put him next to almost any other lineup configuration without forcing a coverage hole. Defensive Role Versatility at 53.75 is in his band — he covers multiple defensive jobs, not just one.
Off-Ball Chaser Defense at 0.59 is the best of three years (-0.81 → -0.27 → 0.59) — he is genuinely better at chasing movement shooters in 25-26 than at any prior point. Help Defense Talent at -0.25 is the worst of three years; the help-side reading has slid even as the chaser reading has climbed.
Steals Per 75 at 1.31 is in his band, modest but stable. Matchup Difficulty at -0.09 means his matchups are roughly league-average — he's not being hidden, but he's also not getting the toughest assignments.
| Metric | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | Read |
|---|
| D-LEBRON | 0.05 | 0.25 | 0.17 | Mildly positive across years |
| Perimeter Isolation Defense | -0.43 | -0.63 | -0.25 | Best of three; still slightly negative |
| Defensive Positional Versatility | 85.7 | 87.9 | 88.9 | Three-year high — load-bearing trait |
| Defensive Role Versatility | 64.5 | 54.4 | 53.8 | Wide role across years |
| Off-Ball Chaser Defense | -0.81 | -0.27 | 0.59 | Three-year high |
| Help Defense Talent | 0.38 | 0.29 | -0.25 | Three-year low — soft this year |
| Ball Screen Navigation | -0.66 | -0.91 | -0.75 | Below average — can be hunted |
| Matchup Difficulty | 0.20 | -0.78 | -0.09 | League-average matchups |
| Steals Per 75 | 1.34 | 1.39 | 1.31 | Modest, stable |
Part 4: Team Fit — Strengths and Absorptions
What OKC gets
A steady-state veteran wing whose role is stable across three years — ~15 MPG, low usage, ~37% 3PT shooting on modest volume, plus-versatility on defense. The value isn't in any single metric reading at the elite tier; it's in the stable-positive defensive profile (D-LEBRON 0.17), the Defensive Positional Versatility at 88.91 that makes him fit alongside almost any teammate, the C&S 3PT Shooting Talent at 0.21 that makes him a real spacer, and the connector value in Box Creation climbing each year.
The structural fit is the part the per-possession composite under-reads. He is the wing-forward who can play next to either Hart-and-Chet (as a spacing 3) or in small-ball lineups (as a 4) without forcing a coverage hole. That positional flex is what lets the staff use him in the 15-minute role even when the headline LEBRON is slightly negative — the alternative on the bench is either a smaller wing who can't credibly play 4, or a less-versatile big who locks the lineup into one configuration.
What OKC absorbs
The headline composite is the simplest answer: LEBRON at -0.18 is below replacement, and pretending otherwise would be unrigorous. The offensive layer reads as net-negative (O-LEBRON -0.34) and the defensive layer doesn't entirely cover it (D-LEBRON +0.17). On a per-possession basis, OKC gives up a small amount of net rating when he's on the floor.
The on-ball defensive vulnerabilities are real. Perimeter Isolation Defense at -0.25 and Ball Screen Navigation at -0.75 mean he can be attacked one-on-one or hunted in PnR. The matchup distribution shows the staff is aware of this — % Guarding Shot Creators at 21.33% (raw) is low, meaning he isn't being asked to take primary scoring assignments. In playoff series where opponents can isolate worse defenders, the role narrows accordingly.
The third absorbed cost is the Help Defense Talent drop to -0.25 this year. If the help-side reading continues to slide, the defensive value floor moves down — the off-ball chaser improvement covers some of it for now, but the multi-year trend on help defense is worth tracking.
The two-way verdict
The honest read is a steady-state veteran connector who is roughly replacement-level by per-possession composite but holds a designed 15-minute role through positional versatility, a stable 38% C&S three, and a connector pass-and-screen profile that the headline metric under-reads. The defensive value is the floor; the offensive contribution is modest but real. Forward-looking, the role is stable — he is the wing OKC uses to keep the lineup math flexible without requiring a hidden coverage cost on either end.