Hornets hit with Mark Williams injury blow ahead of 2024-25 season
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The Charlotte Hornets have a decent young core of players as the 2024-25 season approaches. But they might be without one of them for a certain time period. It was revealed on Friday that Mark Williams had suffered a foot injury during an offseason workout, the Hornets announced.
The Hornets also announced that Mark Williams would miss all of training camp due to the injury and would be reevaluated in two weeks. The injury was revealed as a strained tendon in his left foot. The team will provide more updates as more information becomes available.
Now heading into his third season in the NBA, Williams was expected to take a big leap as the starting center. But Hornets fans may have reason to be worried. He missed most of last season due to a back injury.
The Hornets begin training camp on Tuesday at Duke. They have also been a team with quite a bit of misfortune in recent seasons due to injuries to key players.
Mark Williams was poised for big season with Hornets
While the injury is certainly a setback, Hornets fans could remain optimistic that Mark Williams will be a key contributor for the team this season. He's shown flashed across his two years in the NBA so far and he's one of the bright spots for a franchise that's been down on its luck recently.
Williams was the No. 15 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Hornets. He had a very promising rookie season, appearing in 43 games, including 17 starts. He averaged 9.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots with splits of 63.7 percent shooting from the field and 69.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
The former Duke big man then began the 2023-24 season with a bang, before being shut down in early December. Williams did not appear in a game for the Hornets after Dec. 8. His last game he played, he put up four points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocked shots.
Overall, Williams was limited to only 19 games in 2023-24, but all starts at a little over 26 minutes per game. During that 19-game stretch he averaged 12.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocked shots with splits of 64.9 percent shooting from the field and 71.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Williams has the potential to be one of the best defensive centers in the league with his length, mobility and knack for protecting the paint. Offensively, he's a rim-running big who can finish lobs and is a solid threat as a the roller in the pick and roll.
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