Scouting Report
Strengths
Defense: He’s strong and disciplined in the post. Has great timing on contests, blocking 2.8 shots per game and altering countless others. He doesn’t foul.
Rebounding: Williams uses his timing ability to grab rebounds at a high rate. He is active in boxing out, and works hard on the glass.
Hands/Catch Radius: He has great hands and can jump out of the gym, making him an elite pick-and-roll threat. He is incredibly athletic.
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Weaknesses
Perimeter Defense: He isn’t a quick defender and won’t be able to switch often at the next level. May struggle against small-ball lineups.
Shooting: As athletic as Williams is, developing a perimeter, or even mid-range, jumper would greatly benefit his effectiveness at the next level.
Passing: While not a trait that bigs generally must possess, Williams does not stand out as a passer. He has the tendency to miss cutters and open shooters on the perimeter.
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Summary
Mark runs the floor well, filling the lanes or rim, running down the middle of the court, and regularly beating his defender to the paint. He finishes well in and around the lane as a roller in PnR action. He also thrives as a rim protector, challenging and altering shots. He is active on the glass, securing extra possessions on the offensive end and igniting the fastbreak on the defensive end.
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Video
Honors
ACC Defensive Player of the Year (2022)
ACC All-Third Team (2022)
ACC All-Defensive Team (2022)
ACC All-Tournament Second Team (2021)
McDonald's All-American (2020)
Jordan Brand Classic (2020)
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Statistics
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Offers
Williams is slightly above average defending outside of position, ranking in the 55th percentile. However, his numbers suggest some unsustainability in his defending style. Williams allowed opponents to shoot 56% from 2, and held them to 18% from 3. He closed out well and used his length, but jump shooting simply has more variability, so his numbers may be inflated.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hBYofOLgXKwyjUbhBFVyL4vkv9cfFPjs/view?usp=sharing
This data was hand-tracked by AJ Wahl and Bryon Cook. Every single defensive possesion of each player's season was analyzed. This dataset includes all possessions when the defender is guarding on-ball, in man-to-man, and against a player not within their position group who shoots the ball, is fouled, or commits a turnover. The percentile listed above is a players standing compared to their postion group calculated by compliling and weighing various different metrics derrived from the hand-tracked data. This data only measures a portion of a player's impact, but it is clear that the ability to defend out of one's position group is a vital skill to contributing to winning basketball at the professional level.