Mark Williams Taking Advantage in First Real Chance with Hornets

Rookie center Mark Williams is putting up absurd per-minute numbers over his first extended pro run.

Let's be honest. 68 minutes of court time is virtually nothing, especially in the NBA where things can change quickly.

So how much stock should we put into the fact that Mark Williams is putting up absurd numbers for the Charlotte Hornets?

Well, let's take a look at it.

Williams, who stands 7-foot-2, is taking every single shot from within 10 feet of the basket, playing close to the rim at all times, using his 7-foot-7 wingspan to catch high passes, and converting almost immediately. Five of his seventeen made shots have been dunks, and his average shot distance is just 3.2 feet.

Given the nature of Williams' game, it's fair to assume he'll continue to operate close to the rim, leaving the question: Can he continue his effectiveness?

Williams is converting on 92.3% of his shots within three feet, and that number is obviously ridiculously high. He's likely to come back down to Earth soon enough, but it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that Williams doesn't drop too far in that category, as most opponents fail to match his height, and long arms.

So while 92.3% seems high, landing in the low 80's in terms of interior conversion rate would be a fair estimate of where he will settle.

In terms of rebounding, I might be optimistic, but I buy the idea he could be dominant in that area. Last year at Duke, Williams obviously overpowered opponents, and grabbed 7.4 boards per night in just over 23 minutes of playing time. This year with the Hornets, he's gobbling up 4.8 boards in 11.8 minutes per game.

Some of those boards have been gimmes, but a fair chunk have come off excellent box-outs, and seemingly an understanding of where the ball will land. Williams simply seems to have a nose for the ball, and has the size and athleticism to track them down.

As Williams develops, and as the Hornets get better in the coming years, he might take on a lesser responsibility on the glass, but that wouldn't be due to a lack of talent. We often see interior players take statistical steps back in both rebounding and blocks when their teams improve, and they begin to focus more on positional defense.

For now, though, it wouldn't shock me if Williams maintains at least a similar rate as the one he's currently sporting.

Shot-blocking wise, Williams is unsurprisingly putting his frame into good use, and is challenging players right at the time. He's only registered four blocks on the season, so it's too early to proclaim him the next big shot rejector. However, it's fair to assume Williams will be steady as a shot-blocker seeing as he got 110 of them last year at Duke, in just 922 minutes.

Williams has shown formidable timing inside, even if he does tend to foul a lot. He'll wait for smaller guys to leave their feet before he leaves his, knowing his 9-foot-9 standing reach is enough to at least make up for jumping later. There's a Roy Hibbert vibe to his approach, which is fairly intriguing.

We'll know more about the shot-blocking transition when he's 500 minutes deep, but early returns as a rim protector have been positive considering his lack of experience at the pro level.

Should Williams, who's putting up 22.8 points and 15.4 rebounds per36 minutes, become just 60% of what he looks like statistically right now, it's a huge win for the Hornets, and it would raise some questions as to why head coach Steve Clifford waited this long to give the 21-year-old a chance.

Fortunately, it's better late than never. For Williams, it's all about continuing his current momentum, and cementing himself as a long-term piece for the Hornets, who could frankly use the talent injection after a mess of the last few months.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

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