Williams had another injury-riddled season in 2023-24, and staying healthy has been a significant issue for the Duke product in his first two years in the NBA. Williams was limited to just 43 appearances (17 starts) in his rookie year, but his sophomore campaign saw him log a mere 17 appearances -- and none since Dec. 8. Making things even more complex is the fact that Williams surpassed the 30-minute mark in just three of those 17 contests, so he can't be counted on to see heavy minutes even when starting on a regular basis. Williams is expected to be ready for training camp and is expected to be healthy for the start of the 2024-25 campaign, but fantasy managers should approach him with caution due to his injury history. If healthy, though, Williams' size makes him an imposing presence, and his evolving offensive game allows him to be a solid threat at the other end. Williams averaged 12.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in his 17 appearances during the 2023-24 season, so fantasy managers could use a mid-to-late flyer on him, perhaps moving toward the latter rounds due to the aforementioned injury history. If he can stay healthy, though, Williams can be a valuable asset in fantasy due to his two-way upside. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a two-year, $7.63 million contract with the Hornets in July of 2022. Hornets exercised $4.09 million team option for 2024-25 in October of 2023. Contract includes $6.28 million team option for 2025-26.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
Mark Oluwafemi Williams was born Dec. 16, 2001 in Norfolk, Virginia. His older sister, Elizabeth, played at Duke from 2011-2015 and plays for the Washington Mystics at the time of Mark being drafted. Williams was a four-star center in high school and played three years at Norfolk Academy before transferring to IMG Academy ahead of his senior season. He was a 2020 McDonald's All-American and was chosen to participate in the 2020 Jordan Brand Classic before the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Williams committed to Duke in 2019 and played for the Blue Devils during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. He started in 15 of 23 appearances as a freshman and averaged 7.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game. However, he took on a larger role during the 2021-22 campaign and averaged 11.2 points and 7.4 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game while serving exclusively as a starter. He declared for the NBA Draft on April 18, 2022. He was selected by the Hornets with the 15th overall pick.
ANALYSIS Williams had a disastrous 2023-24 campaign, as his back injury limited him to only 19 appearances. He's expected to have a clean bill of health entering the 2024-25 season, however, and could be poised to bounce back. He finished the regular season with averages of 12.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocks, so the upside is there.
2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Days Rest
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Vs Opp
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - By Result
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Advanced Stats
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2023
2022
Stat Review
How does Mark Williams compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
True Shooting %
An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
Effective Field Goal %
A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
3-Point Attempt Rate
Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
Free Throw Rate
Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
Offensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Defensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Total Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Assist %
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
Steal %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
Block %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
Turnover %
An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
Usage %
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
Fantasy Points Per Game
NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
Fantasy Points Per Minute
NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
67.5%
Effective Field Goal %
64.9%
3-Point Attempt Rate
0.0%
Free Throw Rate
42.4%
Offensive Rebound %
16.3%
Defensive Rebound %
24.6%
Total Rebound %
20.4%
Assist %
6.8%
Steal %
1.4%
Block %
3.7%
Turnover %
7.7%
Usage %
0.0%
Fantasy Points Per Game
30.9
Fantasy Points Per Minute
1.2
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Total
Per Game
Per 36
NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
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NBA Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats
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Historical ADP
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Hornets Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Mark Williams was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
Minutes
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Sorare
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
Williams put together an encouraging rookie season, with most of his production coming toward the back of the year. The Hornets began the campaign with Mason Plumlee as their starting center, eventually moving on from him via a trade to the Clippers. From that point, Williams assumed the starting role most nights, doing what many had hoped since he was taken with the 15th overall pick in the 2022 draft. In just 19.3 minutes per game, Williams ended as the 128th-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 9.0 points on 63.7 percent shooting from the floor, adding 7.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks. Should he land the starting role for his sophomore season, his playing time should increase appropriately, meaning the top 120 should be considered his floor. He doesn't have the block upside of someone like Walker Kessler, but he should be able to flirt with 1.5 swats per game while rolling out consistent double-doubles. The lack of name recognition should work in his favor regarding ADP, likely placing him outside the top 100 in many spots. Anyone who misses out on an elite big man earlier in the draft should certainly consider Williams anywhere in this range.
The Hornets chose Williams with the 15th overall pick in the 2022 Draft. During his second and final season at Duke in 2021-22, he averaged 11.2 points on a whopping 72.1 percent shooting from the field and 72.7 percent from the charity stripe, 7.4 rebounds (2.6 offensive) and 2.8 blocks in 23.5 minutes. The center was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year and also claimed Third Team All-ACC honors. Though Williams struggled with his shot in five Summer League games (44.1 percent), he demonstrated his rebounding and defensive upside with 7.4 boards and 2.4 combined blocks-plus-steals in 19.4 minutes. His smooth and explosive athleticism and 7-foot-7 wingspan should translate to the NBA right away, and good offensive rebounding is always a nice bonus. The quality free-throw shooting will also help keep him on the court and help fantasy managers, and he may possess some perimeter shooting upside given his proficiency. Even if that doesn't develop and Williams is limited to being a pick-and-roll big on offense, he'll be a great lob target. He should have an opportunity to contribute immediately as a rookie in Charlotte. His main competition is Mason Plumlee, who saw just 24.6 minutes per game last season. P.J. Washington may also spend some time at center, but he projects as the team's starting power forward and should see most of his minutes there. Fantasy managers who want to take a gamble at the end of a draft on a shot-blocking big can look to Williams, though he's probably best suited for deeper formats as a rookie. There could be a true payoff in dynasty/keeper formats as soon as next year with Plumlee's contract expiring.
More Fantasy News
Unlikely to play again in 2023-24
CCharlotte Hornets
Back
March 28, 2024
The Hornets haven't officially shut Williams (back) down for the season, but the second-year center isn't expected to play again during the 2023-24 campaign, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports.
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Will remain sidelined Wednesday
CCharlotte Hornets
Back
March 26, 2024
Williams (back) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Cavaliers.
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Listed out for Monday
CCharlotte Hornets
Back
March 24, 2024
Williams (back) won't play Monday against the Cavaliers.
ANALYSIS Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Won't play against Atlanta
CCharlotte Hornets
Back
March 22, 2024
Williams is out to face the Hawks on Saturday due to a back injury.
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Could be done for season
CCharlotte Hornets
Back
March 6, 2024
Williams (back) may not be cleared to play again this season, as head coach Steve Clifford intimated in his press conference following Tuesday's 101-89 loss to the Magic, Bally Sports Southeast reports. "We're tiny by NBA standards...We're going to be smaller here for the rest of the year," Clifford said.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Mixed signals on injury
CCharlotte Hornets
December 12, 2023
Coach Sean Clifford said Tuesday that Williams, who's been battling a back contusion, doesn't feel great and is "iffy" for Wednesday's game against the Heat, Sam Perley of the Hornets' official site reports.
ANALYSIS Williams suffered a lower back contusion against the Nets on Nov. 30 but suited up for the ensuing matchup versus Minnesota, totaling 11 points and six rebounds in 29 minutes. However, since then, he's appeared in just two of the last three games and played his second-fewest minutes of the season in his lone appearance during that stretch. While Williams may miss another contest Wednesday, Clifford said Monday that he doesn't think the big man will be sidelined for an extended period, per Perley.