The Charlotte Hornets have announced that they have decided to exercise the third-year team option for center Mark Williams. This does not come as a surprise, considering that Williams has taken over the starting center role in Charlotte and ran with it.
It took a little bit of time for Williams to get his chance to start in Charlotte, as the starting center job was occupied by veteran Mason Plumlee. The Hornets would trade Plumlee in February of last season, clearing a path for Williams to prove that he is worthy of an extended look as Charlotte’s possible long-term answer at center.
Williams would go on to average 11.6 points and 9.8 rebounds while blocking just over one shot (1.1) in 17 starts down the stretch last season. This was a pretty decent uptick in his performance when compared to what he was able to accomplish coming off the bench, averaging 7 points, 5.2 assists, and 1 block in 25 games ahead of Plumlee’s departure. The fact that Williams was able to improve his overall stat line when given the chance does point in a very encouraging direction.
The soon-to-be 22-year-old center’s success from the tail end of last season has carried over into the first three games of 2023-24. Williams has seen his scoring average increase from 9.0 to 11.0 points, while his rebound total has gone up from 7.1 to 8.3. The fact that this is a trend that appears capable of continuing as playing time keeps increasing does appear to bode well for the future of the franchise. Williams’ time on the court has increased from 19.3 to 24.7 minutes, which has allowed the young big man to show just what he is capable of.
The Hornets desperately players not named LaMelo Ball to establish themselves as the foundation of the organization’s future, and this upward trajectory from Williams is an encouraging sign moving forward. Now, if they can have a few other of their younger players get in on the fun, perhaps they may able to return to contention sooner rather than later.
Signing veteran big man could help Hornets’ bench unit
It is not exactly surprising to see the Charlotte Hornets linked to an intriguing veteran free-agent big man with the state of their bench unit.