Former Duke basketball player and current Charlotte Hornet Mark Williams has begun to turn some heads with his recent stellar play in his third season in the NBA.
Williams played two seasons at Duke from 2020-22, averaging 9.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks a game on 70.4% shooting from the field across his career in Durham.
After his sophomore campaign, Williams entered the 2022 NBA Draft where he was selected by Charlotte with the 15th overall pick.
Williams has been a solid big so far in the NBA. He played in 43 games and started 17 during his rookie season, averaging 9.0 points and 7.1 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game.
He made the jump to a full-time starter the next season, but only played in 19 games after suffering a back contusion.
Injuries have plagued his career so far, missing more games than he played through his first two seasons. Williams has dealt with three left ankle sprains, a right thumb dislocation, and thumb surgery.
He missed the first 20 games of the 2024-25 season after enduring a left foot tendon strain at fall training camp. But since coming back on December 4th, he's been putting up the best numbers of his career.
Williams is averaging 15.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.2 blocks a night on 62.4% shooting across the 19 games he's played this season. He's tallying career-highs in points and assists.
He recently put up a career-high in scoring with 38 points in a 132-120 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on January 23rd.
Since returning this season, Williams has put up 20+ points scoring outputs four times and notched six double-doubles.
He's beginning to look like the Hornets' center of the future, and the team cemented that thought by recently trading Nick Richards to the Phoenix Suns.
With his recent play in his third season in the league, Williams is developing into a force down low, and if he can consistently stay healthy, he's got potential to be a great center in the NBA.