Kicking The Rust Off, Mark Williams Maintaining And Sustaining Belief With Hornets

Mark Williams #5 of the Charlotte Hornets defends a shot by Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)

A short two hours before his Charlotte Hornets tipped off against the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Mark Williams wore a grin while grappling with his thoughts.

Sure, the Hornets haven’t been on the winning end of many of their games at 8-28, but as his teammate Miles Bridges put it, they’ve been competing hard on a nightly basis.

“Tough,” Williams candidly told RG in an exclusive sit-down interview in Cleveland. “I think we're doing a lot of good things, but we're not getting over that hump of getting a win. It's been tough, for sure. There's definitely a lot of flashes of good things we're doing. I think the next step for us is doing that for a longer period of time and long enough to get a win.”

There’s a belief in the locker room behind what first-year head coach Charles Lee is selling. You can plainly see a commitment to defending, and the team’s rebounding prowess has been on full display on both ends of the floor.

Although the execution may not always be there, and the ability to sustain leads has been lacking, there’s a noticeable effort when watching this group play – no matter what the challenge is. Fewer blowouts, more counter punches, no give-up.

“It's great. He's telling us all the right things,” Williams told RG of Lee’s connection to the squad. “He's preaching to us that we've got to keep believing, keep having faith. Obviously, it's a long season, so a lot of teams could've easily rolled over and started to quit by now, but we're fighting every single night and we're gonna continue to do that.”

It’s been anything but easy in Buzz City so far, as injuries have popped up left and right to key players and contributors throughout. Key addition Grant Williams was lost for the year less than a month into the campaign. Bridges, LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller have already missed 34 combined contests as well.

That makes it difficult for any team, especially a young group like the Hornets, to maintain any type of continuity or rhythm.

“It's not really something you can control, obviously all the guys that have been out, eight being out, myself being included earlier in the year,” the recently-turned 23-year-old Williams told RG. 

“It's not fun being out. You want to be out there supporting your team. You're doing whatever you can to help 'em, and when you're on the sideline, you're kinda helpless.

“But yeah, obviously, I believe 100 percent we're better than what our record shows. I know it sounds kinda repetitive with guys being out, but you can't control it. So I think for us, whoever is out there on the floor with us, maintaining the same style of play, playing hard, doing all the little things on the court, hustle plays, rebounds. And I think for us, it's just finding a way no matter what.”

Having only suited up in 76 total games, Williams has been no stranger to the inactive list in the early stages of his pro career.

As a rookie, he sprained his left ankle three different times and dislocated his right thumb, which required surgery that summer. Then, during his sophomore campaign, Williams hurt his back, shelving him for the rest of 2023-24 despite trying to play through it.

After an offseason of recuperating, misfortune struck again, as he suffered a strained tendon in his left foot during training camp this past September.

Forget the physical battle that it takes to come back. Williams' mental strength to keep a positive attitude is admirable. He credits those around him for helping him through it.

“Just people in my circle speaking positively to me,” Williams told RG. “My teammates, staff, my family, I think honestly, just kept me pushing. Just maintain that belief, maintaining that [mindset of] you're gonna get over it, you're gonna heal, it's gonna be fine. So I think that's probably the biggest thing for me.”

Getting Back To It

On Dec. 3, 2024, nearly a year from the last time he stepped foot onto the hardwood, the 7-foot, 241-pound Williams made his regular season debut in Charlotte against the Philadelphia 76ers. The vision of playing came to fruition. Could he trust his body, though?

“I think my first game, it was definitely, like, a thought,” Williams told RG. It's just human nature. But since, it's been fine.”

Yet to play in a back-to-back scenario, Williams has suited up in 14 of the last 16 games for the Hornets, averaging 13.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and just under a block per contest.

Sunday night in Phoenix, he had arguably the best game of his young season, producing

22 points and 13 rebounds in just under 17 minutes of action in the first half. He was outleaping his opponents, back tapping extra possessions to teammates and had great hands on catches.

Per the Hornets, Williams joined Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama as the only players in the NBA to meet those marks in one half of basketball thus far. He is also only the second Charlotte player since 1996-97 to accomplish the feat; Dwight Howard is the other.

Although adjustments were made, and Charlotte ultimately lost on the road to split its series with the Suns, scoring 24 and grabbing 16 boards is nothing to scoff at. The same goes for the four assists and one rejection he had.

“His presence right now is being felt every minute he’s been on the floor,” Lee said. “So I’m really proud of how he’s just continued to grow and kick some of the rust off.”

“Obviously, the more and more you play, the more comfortable you get,” Williams said. “I'm obviously starting to play more now — more minutes, more continuity as far as my rotations go. So yeah, I feel more comfortable every game.”

Since his return, Williams has scored in double figures all but four times (two of which were during his initial comeback) and has secured at least eight rebounds 12 times. He’s also leading the team already with over 30 dunks.

Post-Dec. 23, Williams has been playing 27.7 minutes a night with fewer restrictions as more games have come along. With more availability comes more trust and creativity on Lee’s part, leaning on the seven-footer in different schemes, which he notes Williams has embraced.

“Offensively, it’s nice to be able to play through him a little bit in terms of some of our ATOs, dumping it to him in the post,” Lee said. “I think he’s done a great job of screening and then playing in the seam; he’s able to hit the float, but also make the appropriate pass reads too.

According to Cleaning the Glass, Williams’ has a career-high 19.7% usage rate and a personal-best 19.0% assist percentage. Charlotte is positioning him on the block and at the elbows as a hub, something that we haven’t seen much of prior to Lee’s arrival.

“Playmaking, finding open teammates, whether it's handoffs, backdoor cuts, whatever,” Williams added to RG regarding his growth. “And then offensively, them finding me. I think they kinda go hand-in-hand. Obviously, I'm gonna reward them when they reward me. I think it's just a testament to them getting open, and I'm just trying to hit 'em in the right spots, and they're converting usually pretty well.

“I think that [synergy] just comes with playing pickup, practicing, playing games. It just kinda develops with time. Obviously, we've had a tough little stretch here as far as having all of us together on the court at the same time, but we're gonna continue to fight, continue to believe and whatever guys are on the floor [who] are gonna have a great impact for us.”

Speaking to the Hornets’ strong suit this season, Lee has enjoyed moving Williams around in different coverages defensively too.

“I’ve seen him grow in terms of his versatility,” Lee said. “His presence is felt at all layers of center field. We’ve been able to switch with him sometimes into quarters, which I think is really nice. And even, sometimes, putting him on guards that might be less likely to shoot and still have him be active and help protect the rim. It’s been really helpful.”

“I think that he’s done really well.”

A Friend To Look Up To

Taj Gibson recalls a time when Williams was a highly-touted basketball prospect who had just started thinking about the possibility of being an NBA player. The Duke standout reached out to him with questions about the agent selection process, and Gibson was more than happy to provide his thoughts and expertise.

“It was a cool experience, and I think it worked out for him,” Gibson told RG. “Now, look at God. Now, I'm right here next to him in the locker room.”

With a preexisting connection, the two have become even closer, being a part of the same squad in Charlotte.

“Since Taj has been here, he's been great for me,” Williams told RG.

“Obviously, a guy who's been in the league a long time. He's seen it all. Great players, great teams he's been on. He's been a great influence for me.”

“It's not just him. It's the whole team. But I knew him before he even thought about coming to the league, just watching him and just having that relationship before he got here,” Gibson added to RG. “And then now, to get up around him and be able to work with him every day, see him push himself every day. He never complains, just tries to do the right things. That's what I'm all about -- just trying to help the next man get better, and it's showing right now.”

In his 16th season, Gibson has been one of the most consistent and available big men to play in the league. He’s been a part of winning basketball, most notably in Chicago, New York and Minnesota along the way.

During those years, he’s seen talents come and go. According to the veteran, Williams is here to stay.

“He still hasn't even scratched the surface yet,” Gibson said. “He still has a lot of talent to be shown, still has a lot to be proven, but he's on the right path, takes the right steps every day. He works hard. He believes in the group. We get him better, he makes us better. He's just taking charge of the defense right now.

“He's been tough. He's been real resilient. He's been getting a lot of nicks and bruises; recently, he's been playing through it, just trying to bring it each and every night. And that's what it's all about – getting better. And it's all about his progress. He's just taking it one day at a time.”