Are Mark Williams and Kai Jones the Next “Twin Towers”?
By Bruno Coelho
As many teams try to emulate the Golden State Warriors’ five-out “Death Lineup”, the Charlotte Hornets could potentially buck the trend by going big, with a future frontcourt duo of Mark Williams and Kai Jones.
Of course, the “Twin Towers” moniker seems a bit premature when applied to the Hornets’ twosome. The term brings back memories of dominant high-low post combinations such as Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson with the Houston Rockets or Tim Duncan and David Robinson with the San Antonio Spurs. We are yet to see the magnitude of damage that Jones and Williams can inflict in opposing teams’ frontcourts, but the potential for greatness is there.
Mark Williams is a bruising 7-foot-2, 242-pounder center with unique athleticism and coordination at his size. The 21-year-old averaged 11.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.5 steals and 2.8 blocks as a sophomore in college and his 71.4% field goal percentage is second on Duke’s all-time single-season list and was the best the nation a season ago.
His 9-foot-9 standing reach paired with his insane leaping ability makes opponents shrink on the court. Williams had a dominant 11.4% block percentage and his Defensive Box Plus/Minus of 4.8 also shows just how much impact he has on the defensive end. He is a disciplined defender who displays impeccable timing on his jumps and does a good enough job staying vertical on contests. Even when he does not get the block, he is able to alter shots. His lateral quickness and length on switches make him the perfect pick-and-roll defender in a drop coverage scheme.
As a rebounder, Williams’ size and effort allow him to dominate the glass. He has good anticipation, and his ball tracking skills are excellent. He constantly beats opposing big men to the spot and seems unbothered by box outs. His 2.6 offensive rebounds per game ranked second in the ACC.
Offensively, Williams thrives in transition as a rim-running big and in the pick-and-roll. He led college basketball in dunks last season and posted shooting percentages of 89% on cuts, 71% rolling to the rim, and 60% on put backs. However, it was his marked improvement as a free throw shooter, going from 53.7% to 72.7%, that propelled him to the most efficient offensive season in modern collegiate history and that gives him potential to one day stretch the floor at the center position.
With Kai Jones, Charlotte knew they were taking a risk in selecting him as a raw big man with huge upside. There were a lot of doubts surrounding him. He did not start playing organized basketball until he was 15 years old, and he was a bench player while playing collegiately at Texas. Analysts questioned if he could truly compete and thrive at a higher level.
He did not do much in the NBA and this past season was largely a developmental one for Jones. He appeared in 21 games with the Hornets but played just a total of 63 minutes on the year. In those 63 minutes he scored 22 points on 64.3% shooting, grabbed 11 rebounds, and blocked 2 shots.
While those NBA totals are mediocre at best, the G-League is where Jones really showcased his long-term potential. In 32 games representing the Greensboro Swarm, Jones averaged 18.3 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1.5 steals and 2.0 blocks on 62.0/29.9/63.6 shooting splits.
What Jones did best all season was finish around the rim. He took advantage of his athleticism, his anticipation, and his ability to find open spots on the court. Whether it was off a lob, a putback, finishing in transition, or cutting, when he got to his spot with daylight, he dunked it home more often than not.
Jones has yet to prove that he has a legitimate offensive repertoire beyond anything immediately around the rim. Of his 279 field-goal attempts in the G-league, a whopping 199 were within the painted area. Of the remaining 80 attempts, Jones made just 24.
Jones attempted 2.8 three-point shots per game and connected on 0.8. If there is a silver lining, it is that Jones is at least willing to take the perimeter shot. However, for every video of a summer workout showing Jones making a three-pointer, there is enough evidence in real games to show that he lacks the skill and form to regularly make these shots.
Defensively there is a lot to be hopeful about. Jones is an incredibly mobile defender capable of switching across positions. He is energetic and versatile and is able to drop, switch, or hedge. He is a high-effort, attentive defender who can mask some of his raw fundamentals with lighting fast recoveries. In an NBA setting his defensive prowess would best be maximized as an off-ball help-side defender, similar to what Robert Williams III does with the Boston Celtics.
The inherent problem of this pairing is spacing. Both Jones and Williams have only shown flashes of developing an outside game and their scoring range probably will not extend outside of the painted area, at least for now.
Of course, balancing a winning lineup is much more complex than just pairing two tall rim protectors and hoping they mesh. The right roster construction is needed, and it is on Mitch Kupchak to ensure that the team gets the right complementary pieces for these lineups to actually work.
Hornets fans can dream big with the Mark Williams – Kai Jones duo
There will be complexities and adjustments to be made, but the basic concept of having these two prospects fully developed and playing next to each other is an exciting premise.