Grades for each Duke basketball player thru 6 games

4. Duke basketball center Mark Williams

• 8.7 points per game
• 6.2 rebounds per game
• 1.2 assists per game
• 0.7 steals per game
• 2.8 blocks per game
• 0.5 turnovers per game
• 24-for-41 from the field (58.5 percent)
• 0-for-0 beyond the arc
• 4-for-8 from the foul line (50.0 percent)
• 18.2 minutes per game

After struggling to pin down his exact role in the first three games this season, Mark Williams returned to his paint-protecting and easy-finishing ways with double-digit points each of the past three games, not to mention a total of 25 rebounds and 12 blocks. He’s an essential piece to the Duke basketball puzzle against Gonzaga and throughout the quest to hang banners.

It’s pleasing to see that the 7-foot, 245-pound sophomore has stayed out of foul trouble and been relatively efficient in the scoring department. However, the next step in Williams’ development should entail the former five-star recruit from Virginia taking more aggressive chances on both ends of the floor to sustain longer stretches of dominance.

Grade: 90 (A-)