The Charlotte Hornets are stuck deep in NBA mediocrity. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2016, and that was the only time they’ve made it in the last 10 seasons. A combination of whiffed draft picks, lackluster free agency hauls, and injury issues have been the primary reasons for Buzz City’s major shortage of success.
Now, though, things may finally be looking up. The team has two franchise cornerstones in place in LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, and both guys are poised to lead Charlotte to a bright future. The 2024-25 season could be one of major growth for the young Hornets. That statement is also true for their starting center, Mark Williams.
Williams, the 15th pick of the 2022 draft, was brought in to fill a gaping hole at the five, and that’s exactly what he’s done. The big fella has been a monster through two seasons as a pro, and he’s primed for a big-time breakout in 2025. Let’s break down his game and talk about why.
Offense
On the flashy end of the court, Williams does pretty much everything you’d want from your traditional center. He uses his huge 7’0”, 241 pound frame to make an impact in the paint.
His biggest strength is his offensive rebounding. He ripped down a jaw-dropping 4.0 offensive rebounds a night last year, ranking in the *100th* percentile. Williams makes grown men look like third graders when he crashes the glass.
The Duke product is a phenomenal putback finisher who converts misses into points in multiple ways. He has soft hands and can guide the ball into the hoop with enough carefulness you’d think he was laying a baby down to sleep. He also has a mean streak and loves to hammer home two-handed putback jams.
The dunk is Williams’ weapon of choice in all situations. Pick-and-roll, dump off, putback, transition; it doesn’t matter the scenario, he’s always hungry to rip the rim off at the end of the play. He threw down 47 slams in his 19 games played in 2023-24, good for 2.5 a game. For comparison, Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford, who were third and fourth in total dunks league-wide, posted 2.6 and 2.4 dunks per game respectively. Had Williams been able to play more games, he undoubtedly would have been near the top of that leaderboard.
The same soft hands that aid Williams in finishing putbacks are put to good use when he goes to catch lobs. He snags any alley that comes his way, and if he can’t emphatically throw in the oop, he has shown a knack for tipping the ball in from some impossible angles. Having a lob threat like Williams must feel like heaven for an elite playmaker like LaMelo Ball who is looking to pass more often than score when he drives to the rim.
Williams is also a very dependable pick-and-roll partner for Ball and the rest of the Hornets. He’s a big body screener who knocks puny defenders out of the way with his humongous frame. Picks like that create a ton of opportunities to score. The big man generated six screen assists per 75 possessions last season, a tally that ranks in the 97th percentile. Williams knows where and how to position himself on the roll to give he and his teammates the best chance to get a bucket.
Outside of dunking, screening, and rebounding, though, things get a little iffy for Williams. Like most guys his size, he has no outside shot, but he also has below par touch closer to the rim. His non-dunk finishing is spotty; he hits little push shot floaters and tough reverse lays, but he also completely blows what should be simple finishes. He’s shot just 38% from 3-10 feet for his career. A quarter of his shots have come from that distance.
He also has an unusual tendency to get blocked. Nearly 12% of his field goal attempts got rejected last season, a rate that considerably exceeds those of other guys that play a similar role to him, such as Jalen Duren and Daniel Gafford. This comes as a result of a couple things. Williams often doesn’t go up strong with the ball to lay it up, leading to his shots getting completely swallowed up. He also isn’t the quickest off the ground, giving defenders a better chance to time a rejection as he rises up.
The big man ranks in the 87th percentile of BBall Index’s finishing talent metric despite those flaws, but they are still skills he must work on. The other hole to note with Williams is that he is very reliant on others creating shots for him, meaning he will almost always need to be played alongside competent passers in order to contribute at a high level offensively.
Defense
Mark Williams is an overall solid and productive offensive player. His 12.7 points per game last season ranks in the 79th percentile. It’s defensively, though, where he truly excels.
The big fella is at his best as a low post protector. His imposing frame allows him to block a ton of shots and alter countless more. He racked up 1.4 blocks (85th percentile) and contested 8.9 shots at the rim (95th percentile) per 75 possessions in 2023-24. Anyone who tests him in the paint is unwise to do so.
His rim deterrent ability shines in the pick-and-roll where he shuts things down in deep drop coverage. When he can hang back and warden the restricted area, he all but completely eliminates drives with his looming presence. Offensive players often opt for mid-range pullups and floaters instead of layups when Williams is in the vicinity.
When he’s brought further up towards the level of the screen, Williams’ performance is more of a mixed bag. He has some legitimately awesome switch/hedge possessions where he walls up against much quicker guards and forces tough shots. He also has a knack for getting his hands on the ball in passing lanes and disrupting plays. He collected 1.2 steals per 75 possessions last season, ranking in the 74th percentile.
On the flip side, his feet are pretty slow and he is highly susceptible to looking like a matador out there. He’s flashed a high switchability ceiling, but that outcome is far from realized and for now, he’s better off sticking to the paint.
Williams’ other defensive weaknesses are typical young big man things. He bites at pump fakes too often. He fouls a lot. His positioning in drop and in general is a work in progress. He gets plowed out of the way by stronger veterans. All of those things will improve as Williams spends more time on an NBA floor. Taj Gibson, the grizzled vet who signed with the Hornets this summer, will absolutely be able to teach the youngster a thing or two about defensive discipline.
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It’s clear that Mark Williams is a good player already. Before his injury last season, he was Charlotte’s cemented starter at center. But, as a 22 year old with plenty room for improvement, he has an obvious other level to reach. What will it take for him to get there?
His swing skill is his defensive versatility. In playoff basketball, all weaknesses and trends are magnified and exploited. Teams need to be capable of running multiple schemes on D or they will be exposed. Right now, Williams can only reliably anchor drop coverage. He’ll need to become more comfortable hedging, switching, or even just playing closer to the level in drop in order to see major court time in the big dance.
Deepening his offensive bag would also do Williams a lot of good, even if that just means honing his push shot or adding some quick-hit post moves. He could also work on his passing game, as short roll decision making and handoff directory are becoming highly valued traits in centers.
Overall, though, Williams’ most significant growth will come from just gaining more experience. He’s played just 62 games through his first two years in the league. Back injuries held him to just 19 appearances in his sophomore campaign. Getting reps in real games is crucial to player development, and so when Williams finds health, he’ll be able to fully spread his wings.
If Mark Williams is good to go in 2024-25, then look out, because the kid is ready to break out in a big, big way.
The Bench Mob Blog 