Three Duke basketball players who will be pleasant surprises

Projected pleasant surprises for Duke basketball this season: Mark Williams

During the Blue-White affairs inside Cameron Indoor Stadium over the past two weekends, freshman center Mark Williams has hinted with his towering play that he was deserving of his five-star status in high school (albeit he finished as the lowest-ranked five-star on the 247Sports 2020 Composite at No. 28 overall, possibly due to question marks about his core strength).

Plus, Williams — younger brother to former Duke women’s basketball sensation Elizabeth Williams — has hinted since his arrival in Durham that his 2019 Peach Jam stats were no fluke: averages of 23.0 points, 12.5 boards, and 2.5 blocks while shooting 76.0 percent from the field against many of the nation’s top prep prospects at the time.

Williams is a relatively mobile big man who, per the scrimmage highlights below, is adept at pivoting either direction and then scoring via a half-hook with either hand. Moreover, he sports a fairly crisp midrange shot. Now, he won’t likely light up scoreboards. On the flip side, he won’t likely flounder down low à la Javin DeLaurier, the fumbling backup center for Duke last season.

Most importantly, as Mike Krzyzewski was quick to note to the media, what Mark Williams offers is a bit unprecedented for the program:

“Mark Williams is somebody that we’ve never really had. He’s young, and he’s always had some tendinitis knee problems, but he’s 7-1 with a 7-5 wingspan. He’s been good too.”

Too tall and lengthy to sit. Too nimble and flexible not to be a reliable rim-protector.

Just another pleasant surprise awaiting the pessimists.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball news and views.