5 fast facts about the Charlotte Hornets’ newest player: Mark Williams
The Charlotte Hornets took Duke center Mark Williams with the 15th pick of the 2022 NBA Draft on Thursday night.
Here are five fast facts about the newest Hornet.
1. His sister was a Duke star and a current WNBA starter
Mark Williams’ sister, Elizabeth, played four years for Duke women’s basketball team and became the first four-time AP All-American in ACC history and was a four-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
She was drafted No. 4 overall in the 2015 WNBA draft by the Connecticut Sun and was traded to the Atlanta Dream a year later. She played there for the next six years — a period where she was named to the 2017 All-Star team and the 2020 All-Defensive First Team. She’s now with the Washington Mystics.
2. Williams led college basketball in dunks last year
According to ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony, Williams led the entire NCAA in dunks. But it wasn’t just the sheer number of Williams’ dunks that stood out — it was the intensity. He earned a reputation as a violent dunker, using every bit of his 7-foot, 242-pound frame to slam the ball through the hoop.
3. He’s a defensive star
Williams was named the 2022 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and was a finalist for Naismith Player of the Year.
He showed great improvement after his freshman year, boosting his blocks from 32 in his freshman year to 110 in his sophomore campaign and doubled his blocks per game from 1.4 to 2.8.
4. He has an impressive physical profile
Williams stands at 7 feet tall without shoes and has a 7-foot-6 wingspan. His standing reach of 117 inches is higher than Rudy Gobert’s (115 inches).
5. Fourth Duke draft pick in Hornets history
Williams is the fourth pick from Duke in franchise history since the NBA returned to Charlotte in 2004.
The first was Gerald Henderson in 2009, who played six seasons with the Bobcats and averaged 12 points per game. The second was Frank Jackson in 2017, who was nearly immediately traded to the New Orleans Pelicans (the original Charlotte Hornets franchise) for cash considerations.
The third was Vernon Carey in 2020, who played 23 games for the Hornets across two years before being traded to the Washington Wizards in the Montrezl Harrell deal this past season.
This story was originally published June 23, 2022 at 9:36 PM.
