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Mark Williams | Duke | Center

Explosive interior big man who embraces his role, though he has flashed untapped perimeter potential

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Height: 7'0"
Weight: 242
Age: 20
Year: Sophomore

Shades of Consistent Hassan Whiteside, Robert Williams

PLUSES

• A massive 7-foot-7 wingspan combined with fluid hips and strong fundamentals made Williams one of the best rim protectors in college basketball. His skills should immediately translate to the NBA, which is atypical for young bigs.
• Good hands to catch difficult or surprising interior passes, plus the athleticism to elevate and finish. He’s an aware cutter, timing his motion from the dunker’s spot to get open. He’s also an explosive leaper who can flush lobs over the defense, making him a major weapon as a screener in the pick-and-roll.
• Fundamental post defender who rarely commits careless fouls. He’s also a stout defensive rebounder who boxes out.
• Capable ball handler who can take a few dribbles when necessary. Can create his own shot by sealing off a defender away from the rim or simply posting up.
• Excellent offensive rebounder with a natural feel for whether to go right back up or find a shooter with a pass. He has a high basketball IQ and good vision to target teammates as quickly as he does.
• Could there be untapped shooting potential? He made 5 of 9 jump shots this season, and 74.6 percent of his free throws. His form looks pure. Plus, his soft touch near the rim bodes well for his ability to become a spot-up 3-point shooter.

MINUSES

• Lack of lateral quickness on the perimeter will limit his ability as a switch defender. If a team spaces with five shooters during March Madness, NBA teams will watch closely to see how he performs.
• Lacks a natural perimeter skill set. As a playmaker, he does only the basics and doesn’t facilitate from the elbows like so many other bigs. Early on, he might be limited to the pick-and-roll.

11 PPG 7.1 RPG 2.8 BPG .723 TS%

Ranking the Top 10 NBA Draft Prospects in the 2022 Sweet 16

6. Mark Williams (Duke, C, Sophomore)



Duke's leader in box plus-minus by a wide margin, Mark Williams, has been a game-changer with just an 18.7 percent usage and the draft field's best tools for finishing and shot-blocking.

Through two NCAA tournament games, he's missed three field-goal attempts while totaling 30 points, 15 rebounds, 10 blocks and five assists. And at 7'1", 242 pounds with a massive 7'7" wingspan, he possesses the physical profile for his defensive impact and dunks off cuts, rolls and putbacks to carry over.

Williams won't be for every NBA team, but the ones interested in adding an easy-basket weapon and rim protection will look past his creating and scoring limitations. The fact that he's making 74.3 percent of his free throws is a bonus for a center who projects similarly to centers like Mitchell Robinson and Clint Capela.

Ranking the Top Players in the Sweet 16

15. Mark Williams, Center, Duke



Duke's semi-secret weapon scored 15 points in each tournament game on a combined 13-of-16 (81.3 percent) shooting. He also blocked a combined 10 shots and grabbed 15 total rebounds in those two games. And he makes all the hustle plays, like tapping the ball back out to a teammate after a missed shot. I call those hockey rebounds.

Mark Williams | 7-1 C | Duke | Age: 20



Williams was the most impactful player on the floor in the Elite Eight, and he is in the midst of a phenomenal NCAA tournament, posting 58 points, 35 rebounds and 16 blocks in his four-game run to the Final Four, hitting 25 of 31 shots in that span, 13 of which have been dunks.

He is a game-changer on both ends of the floor with his combination of size (7-foot-1) and length (7-foot-8 wingspan), providing a steady offensive presence with his excellent hands, finishing ability and rim protection thanks to his mobility, timing and reach. He is constantly throwing his body around in the paint and hustling to keep plays alive with an insatiable intensity level.

Williams' upright stance guarding on the perimeter, occasional struggles with physicality navigating screens and mediocre timing tracking loose balls off the defensive glass weren't as much of an issue this past weekend as they've been in the past. His lack of passing ability (zero assists in the past three games) and shooting range aren't ideal for a big man projecting to the modern NBA game, but there's a clear role for a 20-year-old, lob-catching, rim-protecting center who plays hard and still has room to improve.

It will be an interesting litmus test to see how much the NBA values a center in Williams' mold these days, as a decade ago there would be no question that he'd be an easy top-10 pick. It wouldn't be surprising to see Williams still emerge as a lottery candidate, and it's hard to envision him falling out of the top 20 as long as his pre-draft process doesn't reveal any red flags.

Mark Williams (Duke, C, Sophomore)

Averaging 14.5 points and 4.0 blocks through four NCAA tournament games, Williams has been a difference-maker around the rim with his easy-basket tools and defense. But he's also flashed coordination, footwork and touch for scoring unassisted. He's starting to change the narrative that he's just a dunker on offense. The late lottery looks like a realistic range, and the New York Knicks are seemingly a possibility given Mitchell Robinson's unrestricted free agency, durability issues and unpredictability.

Mark Williams, C, Duke

Williams has been consistently good throughout the season but is really strutting his stuff in the tournament. The rebounds, blocks, steals, and anchoring of the defense have been outstanding. He’s also shown offensive flashes, such as in the first half versus Arkansas. Williams is a surefire NBA starter at the five.

Top Draft Storylines in 2022 Final Four Matchups

Perception of Mark Williams' Potential NBA Value Changing



Expected to be guarded by: Armando Bacot

What scouts want to see: Impact, offensive flashes

There are levels to the finisher/shot-blocker center archetype, from Rudy Gobert to Clint Capela, Robert Williams III and Daniel Gafford. Earlier in the season, Mark Williams was viewed as one of the duplicable versions teams can find later in every draft or relatively cheaper in free agency. The narrative has started to change, however, with Williams' impact and masked skill becoming more evident.

He delivered some wow flashes over the past few rounds, including a late defensive stand against Texas Tech when he slid his feet with a driving Bryson Williams before swatting his running hook. Against Arkansas last round, he stripped JD Notae at half court, dribbled down the floor in a one-on-one race and euro-stepped into a layup.

His coordination looks different from most 7'1", 242-pounders who sport wingspans in the 7'7" range. It even shows on more basic finishes with how quickly he gets off the ground or fluidly he puts back a miss.

Williams has also executed some tougher shots that haven't been right at the rim, demonstrating promising touch from tougher angles. He's made 74.7 percent of his free throws, and though he hasn't taken many jumpers, the four-of-six he's hit tells us he's capable when given a chance.

He'll face off against the 6'10", 240-pound Armando Bacot in the Final Four, who's totaled 180 post-up points (85th percentile) in 37 games. Opponents are shooting just 31.9 percent against Williams in the post.

However, he struggled earlier in the month containing Bacot (23 points), who finished through and by Williams on multiple occasions.

While it would have been ideal to evaluate Williams against a smaller frontcourt who could test his lateral quickness, scouts will still be monitoring how strong he walls up against Bacot in the paint. If Duke and Kansas advance, Williams will go head-to-head with another powerful inside big in 250-pound David McCormack. Neither team runs pick-and-rolls often.

At this stage, we've seen enough evidence of top-tier finishing (99th percentile cuts, 96th percentile transition, 91st percentile rolls) and rim protection (11.6 block percentage) with elite tools for Williams to all but guarantee a spot in the 2022 first round. He's also been the primary driving force behind a handful of Duke wins this season.

Williams dominating a Final Four game or two with his two-way presence around the basket—while also teasing scouts with some post moves, counters and touch shots—could lead to lottery teams seeing a quality NBA starter and not just a replaceable, athletic dunker.

Mark Williams is the fastest riser on NBA Draft boards



Duke big man Mark Williams has been perhaps the biggest NBA Draft riser in the NCAA Tournament. He was projected to go late in the first round on many big boards to start the season. After averaging 11.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks during his sophomore season, he’s now considered closer to an end-of-the-lottery talent.

Some popular NBA comps for him include Jarrett Allen, Mitchell Robinson, Robert Williams and Clint Capela. In other words, he’s an athletic shot-blocking force, a great above-the-rim finisher and somewhat limited in other areas of his game. That is the recipe for a solid NBA career at worst. Best-case scenario, he could be an All-Star like Allen.

Williams’ athleticism really does leap off the screen when you watch him. He has been one of the best rim protectors of the tournament, blocking shots out of nowhere. He was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year, ranking 11th in blocked shots per game. What makes Williams such an elite defender?

North Carolina center Armando Bacot gave his scouting report to The Sporting News:

““His [7-7] length. He’s got great timing, so you've got to be smart.”

"He’s a big dude," UNC forward Brady Manek told The Sporting News. “He’s 7 foot tall. Really good around the rim, blocks shots, gets rebounds. It’s hard to guard a 7-footer in general and for him to be athletic, good hands, that’s why he’s so good.”

Williams has gotten most of his offense this year off lob passes and dump-offs when teammates break down defenses for him. He has been a monster finisher when he catches close to the basket. But his self-creation off post-ups hasn’t been quite as impressive. Those weaknesses have prevented him from rising further in the draft. He's more mechanical and predictable in those situations.

Williams relies mostly on a righty hook off that left shoulder spin. He has hit only 7 of the 16 hook shots tracked by InStat scouting services, and he will need to improve that touch in the NBA.

Williams is also a very limited jump shooter. He has shown some touch, drastically improving his free throw percentage from 54 percent as a rookie to 75 percent as a sophomore. But he wasn’t particularly close on the one 3-pointer he has taken this season.

He does look a little bit better shooting jumpers from the free throw line and elbows. He has hit 5 of only 6 attempts from that midrange area this season. During the team’s open practice, he hit 13 of 20. There is some hope that he could learn to hit those reliably during the first few years of his NBA career, but don't expect him to stretch out to the 3-point line any time soon.

Williams is a high-floor prospect who is a safe bet for any team that doesn't want to swing on huge upside. He will probably never be a top-10 player in the league because of his offensive limitations. But he won't be a bust, either. He has endeared himself to the Duke fan base and will likely do the same for whatever team ends up drafting him.

Mark Williams to leave Duke men's basketball team, enter NBA draft



Mark Williams is the first of Duke's multiple NBA prospects to say he's leaving to enter the draft. The 7-foot-1, 242-pound sophomore announced his decision in a social media video Monday evening.

Ranked as the No. 18 draft prospect by ESPN, Williams was an elite rim protector last season and a finalist for national defensive player of the year. The Virginia Beach, Virginia, native started all 39 games, averaged 11.2 points and 7.4 rebounds and ranked 12th nationally with 2.82 blocks per game. He also shot 70.4% through two college seasons and improved at the foul line significantly (from 53.7% as a freshman to 72.7% as a sophomore).

Much of Williams' offensive production came on putbacks, dunks and alley-oop passes with the rest of his offensive game in development, though he has shown back-to-the-basket growth, too.

"He is gifted at both ends of the floor and is driven to get even better every day," Krzyzewski said in a statement. "The NBA team that drafts Mark is obviously getting a talented player, but an equally impressive young man off the court that will represent their organization with class."

He closed his Duke career with eight points and four rebounds while being limited to 17 minutes due to foul trouble in the loss to rival North Carolina in the national semifinals.

Mark Williams | 7-0 center | 20 years old | Duke

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Williams already was high on this mock draft prior to his breakout NCAA Tournament, so it’s hard to call this a spike into the lottery. I had him No. 15 previously. But for many, Williams has been the revelation of the Big Dance. He’s protected the rim during Duke’s Final Four run with impunity. He finishes everything around the rim. He creates extra possessions on the offensive glass. Williams averaged 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocks in the four NCAA Tournament games heading into the Final Four, showcasing how his length and leaping ability are going to make him a tailor-made fit for the NBA. He just needs to work on his positioning and footwork in drop coverage; he can get the corner turned on him too often, as Jaylin Williams from Arkansas showed. But even when that happens, Williams has the length to recover.

Ranking The Top 15 Bigs in the 2022 NBA Draft

8. Mark Williams (Duke, C, Sophomore)

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Signature strengths: Rim protection, finishing

Archetype/projected role: Finisher, rim protector

Williams' 12.5 box plus-minus was Duke's highest by a wide margin, as he was a consistent impact rim protector and interior scorer. He still isn't skilled, but he used his enormous 7'7" wingspan to finish, put back misses and score over centers around the block. He also made 72.7 percent of his free throws. Continuing to build on that touch would be significant for his value, but it's still going to revolve around his rim protection and ability to be an easy-basket weapon off dump-downs, rolls and missed shots.