Mark Williams Scouting Report: Stats, NBA Draft Ranking, Highlights, Comparison
Contents
Mark Williams joins a long list of lottery hopefuls who returned to college for a sophomore season to hopefully improve their draft stock the following year. Like Jaden Ivey, Benn Mathurin, Johnny Davis, and Keegan Murray, Williams had a huge season with plenty of success. The Duke Blue Devils made it to the Final Four, and Williams won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award; it was a pretty good decision to return to school.
Mark Williams Scouting Report
Mark Williams had some stunning measurements at the combine, which improved his draft stock even more. Williams measured at 7-foot-2 in shoes with nearly a 7-foot-7 wingspan, which gave him one of the highest standing reaches in the combine’s history. He’s still raw; however, for being merely 20 years old, he already has found a way to be highly impactful on the floor. Check out the rest of Williams’ measurements, strengths, and weaknesses below to find out why I’m so high on him.
Age: 20
Height: 7’2”
Weight: 242.4 lbs
Wingspan: 7’6.5”
Position: Center
College: Duke
Strengths: Mark Williams is extremely well coordinated for being so tall and long at such a young age. After getting bodied and banged for two years in the ACC, Williams has displayed solid, functional lower body strength. Also, Mark’s rebounding prowess, instinct, and timing are impressive and should translate well at the next level. He’s a big-time lob threat and has shown a bit of competency in the low post, which could take his game to another level. His ceiling will be outrageous if he ever develops a consistent mid-range and post-fade jump shot.
Weaknesses: Williams has virtually no game outside of the paint on the offensive end, and there are no real signs that can develop beyond a mid-range jump shot and a low post game. That is not necessarily a weakness because players like him are needed in the NBA; his size and length are rare and invaluable. Still, it does limit his upside as an offensive threat. Another notable concern is that Williams can struggle a bit when switching on smaller players on the perimeter. Lateral quickness should be a significant focus for whatever organization decides to pick him up.
Mark Williams Stats
| PPG | RPG | APG | FG % | 3P% | FT% | TO | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.2 | 7.4 | 0.9 | 72.1 | 0 | 72.7 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 2.8 |
Mark Williams NBA Draft Ranking, Team Fit, Landing Spot
Draft Ranking: 10
Team Fit: There’s no team I would rather see Mark Williams on than the Charlotte Hornets, and I think that it is highly likely that is where he ends up. The Hornets have arguably the weakest frontcourt in the NBA, and pairing a rim-running lob threat like Mark Williams with LaMelo Ball is insanely attractive. Charlotte will instantly become a playoff team in the Eastern Conference if it grabs Williams and another solid player with its other first-round pick.
Landing Spot: Williams could go anywhere from the 13th to the high teens, but I fully expect Charlotte to pull the trigger in the lottery on him.
Mark Williams NBA Comparison: Rudy Gobert
Williams was electric defensively this season, blocking shots and altering shots at a high rate. His impact statistically and from the eye test on the defensive end were undeniable. When you look at Williams’ height in shoes and wingspan, he measures similarly to Rudy Gobert. He could be on the same level as Gobert when he hits his prime in a few years. Williams is also farther along in his offensive progression than Gobert was at this age, so you could argue that Williams’s upside right now is greater.
Mark Williams Highlights
It’s easy to get excited about Williams as he has all of the tools to be an extremely solid starting center in the NBA for the foreseeable future. His highlights below show his functional strength, athleticism, and basketball IQ, which will serve him well at the next level.
