UCLA Basketball: Intriguing Local Product Talks In-Season Growth

6'10" UCLA Bruins forward Devin Williams, a Riverside native, is one of seven true freshmen on Mick Cronin's roster this season, and eight new additions overall (junior swingman Lazar Stefanovic is a first-year transfer student formerly of the Utah Utes). 

The club got off to a bumpy 6-10 start on the year with so many fresh faces, but has since stabilized, going 4-1 across its last five contests.

Although he hasn't made much of a dent in the team's rotation this year, Williams is excited about the team's recent play as a whole, according to Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times.

"We’re starting to change and get better every single day and I’m extremely proud of us and proud of coach and how he’s been training us, getting us prepared for that battle because it’s hard out there, for sure. But I think our progress has been great," Williams said.

Williams is still fairly raw, and seems like more of a long-term piece for Cronin. He's mostly been relegated to spot minutes, averaging just two points on 62.5% shooting and one rebound across seven contests (3.9 minutes per).