Mark Williams has shown immense improvement over his last two high school seasons. When the final 2020 recruit rankings were set, Williams found himself ranked 16th in the country, up from where he was ranked 31st in the previous rankings. This upward trajectory should have all Duke fans excited. Williams has already proven to have a fantastic work ethic and this combined with his natural talent leave reason to believe he will continue his rapid ascent.
Williams has also put on a lot of muscle over the summer. As someone who will be battling ACC Centers game in and game out, this added strength is both necessary and a welcome sight for Duke.
Williams is on the inside track to be the team’s starting center and will likely have that starting center spot locked up for the entire season. He is going to fit seamlessly with whatever personnel Duke has on the floor. Duke will be able to comfortably insert a stretch four such as Matthew Hurt in the game with Williams patrolling the paint. His strengths pair wonderfully with Hurt and this will be a front court combination Coach K will likely frequently use. Williams will also be able to fit perfectly alongside someone like Johnson, Coleman, or Brakefield playing the power forward position.
Offensively, he will be a very low usage player. The vast majority of his offensive production will come from alley oops and dump off passes. While these may sound like easy plays to score on, there is still an element of skill it takes to consistently finish these plays. Duke can rest assured that Williams is a guy who will consistently finish these plays.
During his high school career, particularly his Senior season, he displayed an exceptional ability to find a way to finish around the basket. He has excellent touch around the rim and this will pay dividends as he will have a ton of opportunities to score in this manner. He is not going to have any plays ran for him but will still be valuable to the team on the offensive end of the floor.
The biggest impact Mark Williams will make this season is being the team’s rim protector. Nobody else on the roster comes close to the rim protecting ability Mark Williams possesses. When he is not blocking shots, he will consistently be changing shots at the rim.
If his 7’0 height and 7’4 wingspan was not already enough, Williams also possesses superb timing skills when it comes to blocking shots. He has a knack for going all out for the block at the perfect time. Unlike most young players, he also does a great job of staying disciplined and not leaving his feet too early. He stays in position. He is going to give Duke a defensive anchor that plays with a very high basketball IQ.
Williams’ presence alone will embolden the entire defensive unit. When he is on the floor, the rest of the defense can play more aggressive and take more risks knowing that an elite rim protector is behind them. This could lead to an increase in steals and deflected passes, allowing Duke to get out in transition. Williams will be able to create instant offense in transition for the team based on his defense alone.
Williams is going to make a huge defensive impact this season. He has a realistic opportunity to have the the 2nd highest blocks per game of any Duke player in the last decade behind only Wendell Carter’s mark of 2.1 bpg. Duke can be very exited about Williams excelling as the primary Center on the team this season.