Brew Hoop Community Draft Board - #15, Mark Williams

There’s just something about hyper-athletic seven footers that can run and jump. Center Mark Williams out of Duke certainly fits that bill, and he landed the 15 spot in our Brew Hoop Community Draft Board.

Another player that I have at least some experience watching due to that Duke-UNC Final Four game, Williams is bouncy and earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors. AKA, he blocked a lot of shots. His minutes vaulted upward significantly in year two, but his block percentage wasn’t all that much higher than his freshman year. Still, 2.8 blocks per game in the collegiate level is nothing to sneeze at. Here he is blocking four shots in a short span, as indicated by the video’s spot-on title.

He hit 72% of his 77 free throw attempts in college, but he primarily operates inside and finishes there, hence his 72.1% field goal rate. I have to say, from my awful untrained eye and watching him in the 30-second clip above, he kinda looks a little stiff moving around? I guess even if he has the 7’7” wingspan and some bounce, I’m not interested in someone who could get cooked on the perimeter switching and doesn’t have many offensive tools to add. He doesn’t look nearly as fluid as watching someone like Nic Claxton. This is from Givony on ESPN:

Williams isn’t quite as feared defensively as you might expect considering his accolades, as you frequently see opposing teams post him up or challenge him in the pick-and-roll, where he’s still a major work in progress. His upright stance on the perimeter and struggles covering ground fluidly are question marks projecting to the NBA level, as is the fact that the game simply moves too fast for him at times on both ends of the floor.

My opinion means zilch when it comes to prospects, but even thinking about him as a potential Brook Lopez replacement, I can’t say I love him. Anyway, onward and upward! Here is our current big board ranking:

1. Chet Holmgren
2. Jabari Smith
3. Paolo Banchero
4. Jaden Ivey
5. Keegan Murray
6. Dyson Daniels
7. Shaedon Sharpe
8. Bennedict Mathurin
9. A.J. Griffin
10. Jalen Duren
11. Johnny Davis
12. Jeremy Sochan
13. Ousmane Dieng
14. Ochai Agbaji
15. Mark Williams

Here’s the usual spreadsheet from Adam Spinella. Let’s vote for 16.

This poll will close at 8 am central, June 9.