All Hornets

Mark Williams opens up about having Jusuf Nurkic on the Hornets' roster

Charlotte's third-year big man is handling the logjam situation extremely well.

Schuyler Callihan

Mar 18, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) during pregame warm ups against the Atlanta Hawks at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Mar 18, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) during pregame warm ups against the Atlanta Hawks at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
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The Charlotte Hornets have quite a predicament on their hands when it comes to the center position. They didn't expect to have the logjam that currently exists, but the rescinded Mark Williams-to-Lakers trade has created a three-man rotation under the rim.

Jusuf Nurkic wanted out of Phoenix for an opportunity to get back in the starting lineup somewhere and with Williams, at the time, already heading to L.A., that was about to happen. Now, it's a bit of an awkward situation for both as Williams, for a variety of reasons could feel a certain type of way about his future with the team, not to mention having Nurkic, a guy who clearly wants to start, on the roster.

Instead of this becoming a massive headache for the Hornets, Williams, Nurkic, and even Moussa Diabate have all handled the situation much better than most would have thought.

After last night's win over New York, Williams was asked about what it's been like having Nurkic on the team.

“He’s been great. An element of physicality, he’s a big dude, knocked some threes down today. He’s definitely just a force for us, so since he’s been here, he’s been great, communicating with us and doing a little bit of everything for us. So shout out to Nurk.”

All three bigs contributed heavily to the stunning victory over the Knicks, but it was Mark Williams who led the charge with 19 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks.

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Schuyler Callihan
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN

schuylercallihan(at)gmail.com  Twitter:@Callihan_ Schuyler Callihan is the lead publisher of Mountaineers Now, All Panthers, and All Hornets on FanNation/Sports Illustrated. He took over publishing duties of All Panthers in 2020 and wanted to expand his professional coverage in the Queen City by running the operations at All Hornets. Schuyler attended Bethany College in Bethany, West Virginia before finishing up his schooling at Alamance Community College in Graham, North Carolina. The Wheeling, West Virginia native made the move to North Carolina in 2015 and has been in Charlotte since 2021.

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