Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) defends Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) during the first half at Kaseya Center. Rhona Wise USA TODAY NETWORK
Deep inside the tunnel, awaiting a sprint onto court, Mark Williams smirks while making an inside joke to a staffer before ribbing an assistant coach for stepping over a barrier without tripping.
The Charlotte Hornets trickled out of the locker room slowly, getting into game mode by forming a huddle. Williams heads directly to the middle of the circle and engages in his personalized handshake with Miles Bridges, leading to an unmistakable smirk.
A month after the Los Angeles Lakers nixed the trade that would’ve sent the 7-footer to southern California for a package featuring Dalton Knecht, it’s clear Williams is in a good space mentally despite the emotional roller coaster that came along with being thrust into the national spotlight.
“That was definitely a crazy time for me, but I think I’m past it,” said Williams, who was in his customary starting center spot in the Hornets’ 123-110 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on Wednesday night. “Just trying to play the season out as hard as I can and dominate. I don’t think it does me any good to continue to harp on that situation.”
Many of those who know Williams well won’t let it happen anyway. They’ve stayed in his ear.
“Yeah, it’s been great,” Williams said. “Obviously, my teammates have been super supportive. My teammates, it’s obviously going to be easy with them. It’s not like they are the ones in front offices or anything. I would say being around them always makes it easier. Coaches, and then my people around me, like my family.”
They’ve all kept Williams uplifted as much as possible, understanding the difficult circumstances that occur when an agreed-upon transaction is nullified and reversed because the team that pulled the trigger on the trade essentially labeled him as damaged goods.
But apparently, keeping Williams in a positive frame of mind hasn’t been as tough as some probably assumed.
“In terms of his spirit, his spirit has always been in a good place,” coach Charles Lee said. “Mark, he’s just got a great way about him. I think he’s just very realistic about what’s going on. I think he’s built great relationships with everybody in this organization. So, no matter what has happened, he’s above that.
“He’s an adult about a lot of situations, which is what you love about him. So, his spirit is always in a good place.”
As a result, the third-year pro’s production hasn’t really wavered and he’s putting up solid numbers, registering his latest double-double in the Hornets’ loss to the Hawks. He’s still not playing in games on consecutive nights, leading to skeptics wondering if he’s indeed completely healthy.
But the Hornets are sticking to their plan for Williams to ensure there are no more unexpected setbacks for their starting big man, because there’s no denying his impact on things when he’s available.
Going into their outing against Atlanta, he was averaging 22 points, 13.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 blocks per 36 minutes of action this season. For perspective, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Joel Embiid have met those minimums while playing at least 50 minutes in a season in NBA history.
And after collecting a pair of offensive rebounds during the matchup with the Hawks, Williams has snared at least one for 66 straight games, representing the second-longest active streak in the league behind Dallas star Anthony Davis’ 69.
Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) shoots behind Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) during the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mady Mertens USA TODAY NETWORK
He’s also recorded double-doubles in six of his last seven outings.
“I’d say I’m in a little more of a rhythm right now,” Williams said. “I think defensively I’ve improved and I want to continue to improve, get back to where I was. I think that just comes with playing more and more.
“Obviously, offensively the guys are just finding me. I’m doing some good things on the offensive glass, running the floor. That sort of stuff.”
It hasn’t gone unnoticed, either.
“His play on the court has shown his comfort level more and more,” Lee said. “Last game versus Miami, the force that he played with, the Dallas game, to me, the force he played with. And it’s on both sides of the floor where he’s affecting shots in the paint.
“And then on the other end he’s dominating the paint and playing through some of the contact through some of the bigs and stuff. So, just proud of his continued growth.”
Lately, it’s fueled by the reinforcing good vibes sent in Williams’ direction emanating from the likes of Bridges, LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. The three components of the franchise’s young core refuse to let Williams wallow in any self-pity.
They’re insistent on keeping Williams in the right frame of mind.
“With Mark, you’ve got to stay on Mark,” Bridges said. “I know he came from Duke and they stayed on him. When he got here Coach (Steve Clifford) stayed on him. C. Lee, he stays on him but not like they used to. So, I think it’s my job just to stay on Mark because he takes constructive criticism well from me.”
Williams appreciates the chats with Bridges and everyone else.
“Yeah, for sure,” Williams said. “Miles, as well as he’s been playing, just continuing to lead our team, continuing to stay on me. I think just him wanting to be held to the same standard as well helps as far as his contributions. Obviously scoring the ball at an incredible rate right now.
“And obviously Melo, B. Mill, he’s going through rehab but he’s trying to be around as much as he can. He knows he has someone to talk to (from) when I had my thumb (injury) my rookie year.
“I think everybody, really. I can go down the list. But yeah, everybody has been great.”
The key now is for Williams to finish this final month of a challenging season in strong fashion.
“Just continue to play hard, just continue to be aggressive, just continue to try to dominate on both slides of the ball,” Williams said. “I think just play hard, dominate, rebound — contributing to winning basketball.”
The Charlotte Observer
Roderick Boone joined the Observer in September 2021 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and NBA. In his more than two decades of writing about the world of sports, he’s chronicled everything from high school rodeo to a major league baseball no-hitter to the Super Bowl to the Finals. The Long Island native has deep North Carolina roots and enjoys watching “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” endlessly. Support my work with a digital subscription
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