Mark Williams vs. Jalen Duren

[yosemiteben]

You're in the market for a big, and both are on the board at your pick. Who you taking and why?

[buzzkilloton]

If you want a higher floor more nba ready player i go Williams. The more ceiling pick is Duren. Duren isnt 19 until November 18th to put this into perspective Keegan Murray going to be 22 in August.

For me pound for pound as prospects I prefer Duren. Williams is nice because he knows his role and i feel like hes just going to be a rock solid big. Duren though if he gets with the right coaching he could develop into a all star.

[SeattleJazzFan]

they are so close for me, but for any comparison, as buzzkill mentioned above, age has to be factored in. williams is a full two years older than duren.

[Catchall]

Duren has more handle, passing and mid-range touch. He doesn't need to be right at the basket to score. He also is probably a more switchable defender out on the floor. I like the Bam Adebayo comps. Duren should be able to develop a face-up game.

Williams is a beast though. The only question is how much of his game translates to NBA speed and spacing.

[RookieStar]

I'm going with Williams. I would have thought he is a stick-thin C in the mold of Jafro and McGee but seeing that he is 240lbs at the combine makes me think he can still add muscle. Couple that with his already impressive measurables.

[toooskies]

I'm going with Williams. I would have thought he is a stick-thin C in the mold of Jafro and McGee but seeing that he is 240lbs at the combine makes me think he can still add muscle. Couple that with his already impressive measurables.

Yeah, his game actually reminds me a lot of Jafro. Getting into position to catch lobs and pocket passes is the hidden skill that makes the finish look easy.

Some draft guys think he can add an outside shot (has hit them in warm-ups, has a good FT%) but it's purely speculative.

[jezzerinho]

I'd take Koloko.

[CptCrunch]

Duren is worse in terms of fouls, turnovers, and blocks. Most critically, he is a lot worse in shooting.

There is really no guarantee that he can develop to be better than Williams in 2 years (their age gap).

William's upward trajectory is a good thing.

There has been a disproportionate. The gap between Duren and Williams shouldn't be this large given way better production, freak measurables of Williams.

[clyde21]

literally 0 reason to take Duren over Williams unless you're just enamored with age and expecting outlier development with Duren

[MasterIchiro]

Only one of these players will be able to switch on a perimeter player closing in a playoff game.

Duren.

[Duke4life831]

The idea of Duren is far greater than what Duren actually is.

The way some talk about Duren, its like he is a souped up version of Bam. This guy that can defend 1-5, anchor a defense, also can be a high end facilitator.

But that is all just based off of "potential". Because in reality he is none of those things and really hasnt shown any flashes of any of those things.

When comparing him to Bam, Bam was the far superior defender coming out of college. Im not talking basic counting stats like blocks and steals, Im talking actual defensive awareness, timing, fundamentals, and so on. He also did it against far superior opposition. Duren wasn't some super defensive stud that was super switchy. He was also playing against AAC competition for the majority of the year and wasn't a standout defender. It blows my mind people just assume he's going to be able to defend well out on the perimeter against NBA competition.

Mark is far easier to project. Mark will be the longest player in the NBA. Its also not like Mark is some slow footed big either, his mobility is actually pretty good. But the idea of Mark isnt just based off of "potential" because he is really long. He is actually a very good defender. His rotations, his timing, his awareness, his fundamentals are all elite for a guy coming out of college.

Also on the offensive side, Mark is the far better FT shooter, both have taken limited jump shots but Mark has better percentages there as well.

And its not like Mark is going to be like some 24 year old rookie either.

[SelfishPlayer]

Run away from any prospect that's considered safe or high floor. That is not you describe a successful starting NBA player entering the league.

[MemphisX]

They are both the same level of prospect.

So it is situational. Also, regarding switching, Williams has really good feet. His overall length, feet and athleticism will allow him to switch in most situations. I think people have seen Gobert in one context and have developed a draft philosophy around that. Kevin Looney is able to stay on the court. Bigs getting played off the court has a lot more to do with the other 4 players on the court with them.

[CP War Hawks]

It's Duren. He's Dwight lite, and in a weak draft GMs are not going to pass on that. MW is a much safer prospect even though guys similar to his build like Bamba and Bol hadn't gotten much traction yet.

[Kalela]

Teams would be lucky to have either. Duren may have the higher ceiling.

[Catchall]

The fact that Duren has comparable numbers to Williams, while being two years younger and playing with lesser teammates, should answer the question.

[SeattleJazzFan]

take duren now vs williams two years ago. not a soul on earth would have taken williams two years ago over duren now. the two years is a BIG deal - dudes, especially raw big men athletes like these guys tend to improve a ton from 18 to 20. silly to downplay the age difference like some in this thread are doing.

having said that, i just really like williams as a prospect. seems about as can't miss as a prospect can be. not sure his ceiling is super high as he will likely always be somewhat limited offensively, but guys like him just help NBA teams - even if it's in a rotational bench role. if you can get that dude in the early teens you jump all over it and don't think twice. he has a motor, he has length, he has athleticism and he has excellent defensive instincts - there is simply no reason he can't be in the mold of guys like time lord and capela.

[BlazersBroncos]

there is simply no reason he can't be in the mold of guys like time lord and capela.

Capella and especially Time Lord are much switchier than both Duren and Williams.

I think its pretty outlandish to say Mark Williams will be in the mold of Robert Williams. Rob is insane switching onto smaller guys, Mark isnt going to be an outlier - guys his height are never good at switching.

Both Duren and Mark will be off the floor when the minutes count in the PO's IMO.

[kobyz]

you have to go with Duren and his Alonzo Mourning potential

[BlazersBroncos]

If I had to draw comps, I would go:

Jalen Duren - Nene
Mark Williams - Deke

I think Duren will be a bit more switchy, better passer, have a passable J - all similar to Nene. But he isnt going to be Bam or Timelord on switches.

Mark IMO will be a monster on the boards and protecting the rim, but like Deke if he played today he will get picked on with the PNR and thats what the game comes down to in the PO's.

Both are going to be good players IMO, but I am not buying they are playable in the ends of games during the POs.