Post by daglazer on Apr 19, 2022 12:33:33 GMT -5
With the Knicks season over, it is time to start looking at prospects who might be available for the 11th pick of the draft where the Knicks are currently slotted. So, I thought that I would add my 2 cents on the first Duke underclassman to declare for the draft, Mark Williams.
Mark is a tall, lanky center with exceptionally long arms. He was the defensive player of the year in the ACC and it was well deserved. He is an exceptional rim protector. He can block shots with positioning alone due to his long arms. He can hit a jump shot although he was not asked to do that much at Duke. He did shoot over 70% from the FT line. When he played well, Duke won. If teams were able to defend against him, Duke lost. He has very good footwork in the paint and does have a hook shot. Mostly, he uses his footwork to get layups and dunks. Duke's offense ran much better when he got regular touches as there were few players who could affect his shot.
He needs to add weight and strength, but he has the defensive player of the year potential in the NBA. The need for more strength can be seen when guarding low post players who go into his body and in his rebounding ability. Big physical players gave him trouble. He will need a year or two to develop NBA-level strength, but when he does, I expect him to have a Rudy Gobert type career. He will never be a go-to player on offense but does not need to in order to affect the defense. He already does a good job of diving to the rim on the pick and roll. Think of him as a young Mitch that can shoot enough in a game to be a threat.
If we stay at 11, then I would really want the Knicks to draft him!!!
Mark is a tall, lanky center with exceptionally long arms. He was the defensive player of the year in the ACC and it was well deserved. He is an exceptional rim protector. He can block shots with positioning alone due to his long arms. He can hit a jump shot although he was not asked to do that much at Duke. He did shoot over 70% from the FT line. When he played well, Duke won. If teams were able to defend against him, Duke lost. He has very good footwork in the paint and does have a hook shot. Mostly, he uses his footwork to get layups and dunks. Duke's offense ran much better when he got regular touches as there were few players who could affect his shot.
He needs to add weight and strength, but he has the defensive player of the year potential in the NBA. The need for more strength can be seen when guarding low post players who go into his body and in his rebounding ability. Big physical players gave him trouble. He will need a year or two to develop NBA-level strength, but when he does, I expect him to have a Rudy Gobert type career. He will never be a go-to player on offense but does not need to in order to affect the defense. He already does a good job of diving to the rim on the pick and roll. Think of him as a young Mitch that can shoot enough in a game to be a threat.
If we stay at 11, then I would really want the Knicks to draft him!!!
