On Thursday, Mark Williams announced his decision to return to Duke for his Sophomore season with a Tweet captioned “year 2, let’s work.” Williams return is excellent news for Duke, and terrifying news for the rest of the ACC. With his return, Duke’s ceiling for the ’21-’22 season has been elevated to an entirely new level.
The improvement Mark Williams has made as a player over the last three years has been remarkable. In June of 2018, Mark Williams was ranked as the 116th recruit in the country, per 247sports. By May of 2019, Mark Williams had risen to the 52nd ranked prospect in the country. In the final class of 2020 rankings, Mark Williams was the 16th ranked recruit in the country. His meteoric rise up the recruiting charts culminated in him reaching five-star, elite territory.
When considering how rapidly Williams’ game improved as a high school prospect, his Freshman season at Duke makes a lot of sense. He played sparingly through the first nine games of Duke’s season, recording just 5.8 minutes per game during this span. During this time, Williams looked uncomfortable offensively and overly eager defensively. It took him a bit to figure out the college game, but when he got comfortable, his game took off.
As his Freshman campaign continued, he seemingly took another step forward in every game. His improvement, much like it was in high school, was rapid and expansive. Over the last six games of the season, Williams averaged 16.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game while converting 80% of his field goal attempts. He was a dominant force in Duke’s final game against Louisville, recording 23 points and 19 rebounds.
If recent history is indication, Williams could be primed to take yet another massive step forward as a Sophomore. The game will naturally slow down for him, which is a scary thought for opponents.
Williams played just just 15.2 minutes per game as a Freshman, but that number will likely be close to 30 minutes per game as a Sophomore. His Freshman average of 1.4 blocks per game in such limited time is very impressive and leaves reason to believe he could be north of 2.0 blocks per game as a Sophomore. He is going to be an invaluable defensive anchor for the Blue Devils. Leading the ACC in blocks is a possibility, as is making the ACC All- Defensive team. It isn’t far fetched to believe Mark Williams could be the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
In addition to everything he will provide Duke defensively, Williams will be even more of an offensive threat as a Sophomore. During his Freshman season, he flashed tantalizing potential.
He’s already demonstrated rare passing ability for someone his size. He’s shown an ability to knock down midrange jumpers. With an entire offseason to work on his game, Williams will bring even more to the table as a Soph0more.
Duke will have a plethora of scoring options available next season. The offensive firepower will be immense. However, outside of Paolo Banchero who can score from anywhere, Duke would not have had a low post scoring option had Williams declared for the draft. Williams being back adds a low post option, providing Duke with an added dimension offensively.
Expectations for Mark Williams next season are sky high and for good reason. His rapid development in recent years suggests he will take yet another significant step forward as a Sophomore. There is a good chance that Williams ends up on one of the three All-ACC teams. Williams will be an impact player on both sides of the ball for the Blue Devils next season. Duke desperately needed him to return, and that fact he elected to do so solidifies Duke as a title contender for next season.