Tag: Mark Williams

Social media reacts to Lakers voiding Mark Williams trade: ‘It’s to distract us from PlayStation Network going down’

The concerns about Mark Williams’ past health issues became a reality when the Los Angeles Lakers decided to void the trade with the Charlotte Hornets involving Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, and a first-round pick. JJ Redick will now have to rely on …

The concerns about Mark Williams‘ past health issues became a reality when the Los Angeles Lakers decided to void the trade with the Charlotte Hornets involving Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, and a first-round pick. JJ Redick will now have to rely on Jaxson Hayes as the starting center and the team could potentially add another big from the buyout market.

See below the social media reactions to the Lakers’ decision to void the deal, with some users sharing hilarious conspiracy theories.

Why the Mark Williams-Dalton Knecht trade between the Lakers and Hornets was rescinded

Well, it’s back to square one for these two NBA teams.

The Los Angeles Lakers are back to square one on finding a long-term big man to play with superstar guard Luka Dončić.

The Lakers shared on Saturday evening that the team’s deadline trade from Thursday with the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams had been rescinded.

That means that Williams will remain with Charlotte, and guard Dalton Knecht and forward Cam Reddish will return to Los Angeles. Any NBA Draft compensation previously exchanged will revert to the original teams as well.

ESPN’s Shams Charania shared after the news broke that Williams failed his physical exam with Los Angeles because of “multiple issues” coming to light in the process. Williams’ back was reportedly not one of them, per Charania.

This is a tough blow for both franchises, as they’ll both have to try again next time to find paths forward for the players in question.

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Mark Williams trade grades: Who won the Lakers and Hornets deal?

Who won this NBA trade deadline deal?

Whew, what a NBA trade deadline for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Obviously, the Luka Doncic trade sent shockwaves through the league, but there was a glaring hole in the middle of their roster — they needed a big man.

Well, they got one, and a pretty good one too in Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets. But it was costly for the Lakers’ future (although given the Doncic trade, the future is now for this franchise with them shoving all in).

So who won either side of this deal? Let’s dive in and hand out some grades to the Lakers and Hornets:

The trade details

The Lakers get: Mark Williams

The Hornets get: Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2030 pick swap and an 2031 first-round pick (unprotected)

Lakers grade

Luka Doncic wanted a lob threat. He got a lob threat.

Beyond that, Williams has developed nicely in Charlotte. He’s averaging just under 16 points per game and has grabbed 9.6 rpg. Thing is: he doesn’t block a ton of shots for a seven-footer, which is a concern. And he hasn’t been healthy in his three seasons after Charlotte drafted him 15th overall in 2022.

So maybe this is more about what he brings on offense for this franchise. Knecht showed some flashes here and there, but it’s clear the Lakers have emptied the cupboard to contend now and in the next couple of years at least. Makes sense.

GRADE: B+

Hornets grade

The rebuild continues in Charlotte, with a nucleus made up of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges.

So adding young, promising players like Knecht and a juicy unprotected pick down the road — what if LeBron James and Luka Doncic are gone by 2031? — is the right move. I like this trade a lot given where the Hornets are. Williams was expendable given the glut of big men in the NBA, and what they got back was solid.

GRADE: A-

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Former Duke basketball star shouts out Cooper Flagg after 42-point game

A former Duke basketball player shared some love for freshman superstar Cooper Flagg during his 42-point game against Notre Dame.

Duke basketball freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] looked like the best player in the country before Saturday’s game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but a 42-point performance against a conference opponent goes a long way in that department.

Mark Williams, another former Duke star who went in the first round of the 2022 NBA draft, certainly paid attention to the 86-78 victory.

“Cooper Flagg real deal hooping,” Williams wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. The 7-foot center even added a fire emoji for additional emphasis.

Flagg made 11 of his 14 shots from the floor, including four of his six 3-point efforts, and earned 17 trips to the free-throw line. He made 16 of those additional shots, and his seven assists created 16 more points for the Blue Devils. Real deal hooping, indeed.

Flagg broke a Duke basketball record (and an ACC record) for points in a single game by a freshman, and he’s now averaging more than 19 points per game. He’s made 66.7% of his total shots and 64.3% of his threes across the last four games.

Former Duke basketball stars Seth Curry and Mark Williams set for training camp in Durham

The Charlotte Hornets, with two former Duke basketball stars in tow, will host training camp at Cameron Indoor Stadium in October.

The Blue Devils will host the Charlotte Hornets, an NBA team featuring former Blue Devils Seth Curry and Mark Williams, for training camp next month.

The school announced on Thursday that the Hornets would take over the Michael W. Krzyzewski Center, where both the Duke men’s and women’s basketball teams train, from October 1-4 as they prepare for the 2024-25 NBA season.

Curry, now 34 years old, has been in the NBA since 2013. He’s played in 482 games for nine different teams, and the Dallas Mavericks traded him to the Hornets last February. He’s a career 43.1% 3-point shooter and averaged 9.0 points in 19.9 minutes during his eight games with the team last season.

Williams, on the other hand, has been with the Hornets since they drafted him in 2022. He averaged 12.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in 2023-24, and he’s averaged at least one block per game in both of his career seasons. However, his sophomore campaign lasted only 19 games before a back injury kept him out for the rest of the year.

https://twitter.com/DukeMBB/status/1834298872082076093

The last day of the Hornets training camp, October 4, is the same day as Duke’s season-opening Countdown to Craziness, so there’s a chance that Williams and Curry make an appearance at Cameron Indoor Stadium that night.

Social Media reacts to Cam Johnson dunk over Mark Williams

Social media reacts to former UNC Tar Heel Cam Johnson posterizing former Duke star Mark Williams.

Another day, another Tar Heel posterizing a Duke star in the NBA. That is what happened Thursday night, as Brooklyn Nets [autotag]Cam Johnson[/autotag] posterized Charlotte Hornets Mark Williams.

Johnson’s dunk comes weeks after Cole Anthony’s viral dunk and Coby White slamming it on Paolo Banchero.

The dunk came in the fourth quarter with seven minutes left to go, giving Brooklyn a 115-112 lead in a tightly contested game. The dunk has since gone viral, as personalities, outlets, and fans shared the clip around social media. In two hours, the clip has already gathered over 100k views.

Brooklyn would eventually lose 129-128, but the dunk will live to be the most memorable moment of the game. Johnson returned recently, making the moment that much sweeter, on top of posterizing a Duke player on the pro stage.

Let’s take a look at how social media reacted to Johnson’s monstrous dunk on Williams.

Hornets’ Mark Williams joined Bill Russell in history with latest performance

Williams put up a career performance on Saturday and joined some legends in the history books in a win over the Heat.

Charlotte Hornets rookie Mark Williams put up a career performance on Saturday and joined some legends of the game in the history books in the process.

Williams produced 18 points, 20 rebounds, one steal and one blocked shot in a 108-103 win over the Miami Heat. He went 9-of-12 from the field in 29 minutes of work as the Hornets continued their season-best four-game win streak.

The 15th pick became the third rookie in history to record at least 15 points and 20 rebounds in fewer than 30 minutes, joining Bill Russell and Alonzo Mourning. He is also the fourth rookie in team history to haul in at least 20 rebounds in a game.

Williams sealed the win after scoring four points in the final two minutes, including a putback dunk to give the Hornets a five-point lead with 44.9 seconds left.

“It feels great to make those plays and to have those plays end up in a win,” Williams said. “It feels really good and (to) continue to build on that, especially for me, and build that confidence as we push through here.”

Williams spent much of the first half of the season in the G League to develop and adjust to the increased competition level of the NBA. The assignments were a great chance to learn coverages, and those minutes appear to be paying off.

He entered the rotation in late December and has seen a much larger role since the team traded Mason Plumlee at the deadline. He has started in each of their last five games and is averaging 11.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in that role.

“The more and more I play, the more comfortable I’m getting,” Williams said. “I think, offensively, just ready to catch passes from whomever — lobs, live balls, etc. Defensively, just communication and sliding my feet and guarding whomever, protecting the paint. I think I’m getting better and better each game and I’m just trying to build on that.”

With the Hornets likely looking ahead to next season, their final 20 games will give Williams a great opportunity to develop and build some positive momentum heading into his second year.

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Hornets’ Mark Williams put up a double-double in his first-ever start

Williams registered his second double-double of the season on Friday in his first career start versus the Celtics.

Charlotte Hornets rookie Mark Williams registered a double-double on Friday during his first career start in a loss on the road to the Boston Celtics.

Williams produced 11 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot in the 127-116 loss. He finished 4-of-7 from the field in nearly 31 minutes of work as the Hornets dropped their sixth straight game.

The 15th pick earned the start after the Hornets traded starter Mason Plumlee to the Los Angeles Clippers. It was his second double-double of the season after entering the rotating at the end of December; he had played sparingly prior to that.

The start gave Williams the opportunity to play against a different group of players. Hornets coach Steve Clifford wanted to see how Williams would respond to the challenge, and it looks as though the 21-year-old played well in that role.

The Hornets opted to keep Williams in the G League for much of the season. Since entering the rotation on Dec. 26, Williams is averaging 7.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks on 64.8% shooting from the field in 23 games.

The team viewed the assignments as a great opportunity for Williams to adjust to the competition and learn the types of coverages at the position. It is that experience that will help Williams over the final stretch of the season as he looks poised to play a larger role moving forward.

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Rookie Power Rankings: Bennedict Mathurin swipes the top spot with recent play

Rookie Wire took a look at the top first-year players over the last two weeks of the 2022-23 season.

The term “rookie wall” is often used to describe how first-year players may hit a roadblock in the midst of their seasons as they adjust to the 82-game schedule and increased competition level in the NBA.

With teams well into the second halves of their schedules, some rookies appear to be slowing down of late. However, there are others that are seemingly heating up at the moment and are continuing to play at a high level.

Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin fits that bill.

The sixth pick (more on him below) is coming off one of his best outings of the season on Tuesday to lead the Pacers to a win over Chicago. The group snapped a seven-game losing streak with the win to set up a prime rookie matchup on Wednesday against Paolo Banchero and the Magic.

To make sense of it all, we looked at the best recent performances of these first-year players and ranked them in the latest edition of the Rookie Wire Power Rankings. The rankings are not for Rookie of the Year purposes but, rather, to illustrate the best players week to week.

Hornets’ Mark Williams produced a rare stat line in win over Rockets

Williams had a rare performance on Wednesday to help Hornets defeat the Rockets and snap a five-game losing streak.

Mark Williams turned in a rare performance on Wednesday to help the Charlotte Hornets defeat the Houston Rockets and snap a five-game losing streak.

Williams produced a career-high-tying 17 points, six rebounds and five blocked shots in the 122-117 victory on the road. He finished 8-of-10 from the field in 18 minutes and 42 seconds of work off the bench.

His five blocks were a career high.

The 15th pick became the second player to record at least 17 points and five blocks in 20 minutes or fewer in a game (Herb Williams, March 1983). He is the first Hornets rookie with five blocks since Bismack Biyombo in April 2012.

Hornets coach Steve Clifford explained what he brought to the game.

His rim-protection, inside play and some good screening. He is very poised. He has played in a lot of big games in his career but he is very poised on the floor and he did a really good job.

Williams was used sparingly to begin the season, but he has played a major role with the team lately. He is averaging 7.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks on 60.3% shooting from the field in 12 games since Dec. 26. Included in that stretch was a 17-point and 13-rebound performance on Dec 29.

The Hornets have opted to keep Williams in the NBA G League for much of the season. The team viewed the assignments as a great opportunity for Williams to adjust to the competition and learn the types of coverages at the position.

Williams responded by averaging 22.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks on 64.8% shooting in 11 games in Greensboro. He recorded eight double-doubles and produced a monster performance during his last time out on Dec. 22: 29 points and 17 rebounds.

Clifford previously commended Williams for welcoming the chance to play in the G League. It is clear those minutes in Greensboro helped prepare him for his recent opportunity and the rookie is showing what he can provide the team.

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