The Charlotte Hornets managed to snag Duke Blue Devils big man Mark Williams after he fell down to the 15th pick of the 2022 NBA Draft. This is big news for the Hornets, a franchise looking to build around the wickedly talented LaMelo Ball.
Williams fills a hole at the center position Charlotte needed to fill for the past two years.
This pick came after the Hornets drafted Jalen Duren with the 13th pick, who was eventually traded to the Detroit Pistons. Williams will be a great interior defender as a rookie because of his freakish size. He's 7'2 with shoes on and has a 7'6 wingspan. This guy can be really good very quickly.
What the Hornets are getting
Mark Williams has the potential to be a good finisher around the basket with the Hornets. He shot the ball 72% from the field in 2021-22. He will have a lot of opportunities to score out of pick & roll situations with his new point guard, LaMelo Ball. That's an instant lob threat with that insane catch radius from his wingspan.
He'll be able to block & alter shots around the rim as well. He averaged just under three blocks a game in his last season at Duke. He wasn't a strong rebounder with a little under 7.5 rebounds, but there is room for him to improve that stat in the NBA.
How Mark Williams fits
No shade thrown at Mason Plumlee, but Williams is the first prototypical center the Hornets have had in a while. He can slide in to the starting lineup almost immediately alongside a young core of LaMelo Ball, James Bouknight, PJ Washington, and hopefully Miles Bridges. Toss in the veterans Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, Kelly Oubre, and you have a pretty solid group of guys. Guys that can defend, stretch the floor, and mesh even more down the road.
LaMelo Ball expressed his approval of the pick on his Instagram story on draft night. Saying “Another future gang. It's turnt,” which is a good sign for their newly acquired big man. All Hornets fans should approve of this pickup. Get ready for Ball and Bridges to invite one more person to their Air BnB.
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