Mark Williams Receives Votes for the NBA's All-Rookie Team

It was a strong rookie campaign for the Hornets' big man.

It didn't happen right away, but Mark Williams eventually showed that he is someone the Charlotte Hornets can build with moving forward alongside LaMelo Ball. Monday evening, the NBA released its 2023 All-Rookie Team with Williams missing out on the cut but did receive four votes.

The complete voting results for the 2022-23 Kia NBA All-Rookie Team: pic.twitter.com/zfSjo4c2i5

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 8, 2023

Williams began his rookie year down in the G-League with the Greensboro Swarm, sharpening up his game and adjusting to the speed of pro basketball. With veteran Mason Plumlee having the best year of his career, the Hornets were not rushed to get their first-round pick on the floor. 

But as time went on, it became clear that Williams was not only ready to play in the NBA but be in the starting five, ultimately making it an easy decision for GM Mitch Kupchak to trade Plumlee.

"With the development of our young players, probably most specifically our bigs, Mark [Williams] and Nick [Richards]. But the development of them - a little bit quicker than we thought and our position as a team, it became pretty obvious. Mason, a veteran, an unrestricted free agent. Wants to win at this stage in his career. Probably the best thing for him and probably the best thing for us was to make a move and clean up the roster a little bit and give our young players a chance to play, develop, and grow."

In 43 games (17 starts), Williams averaged 9.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and one block per game in under 20 minutes per contest. 

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