Mark Williams' maturation on defense key for a deep Duke run
Mark Williams is a force on defense, but Duke coaches are looking for more discipline to help take the team to another level.
Duke’s defense has been a point of conversation all season. As it goes, so too do the Blue Devils.
Just as with many other teams, Duke’s defense often dictates how successful they will be on both ends of the floor. Mike Krzyzewski’s squad is at its best when pushing the ball on offense and gaining opportunities to score in transition.
It’s how this team thrives.
And when the defense struggles, the Blue Devils find themselves in grind-it-out types of games — at least in most instances.
We have referenced Duke’s on-the-ball defense as the tipping point for success over the last several years. And while that still holds some truth, it’s not necessarily what could propel Duke to its ultimate goal of a championship.
Sure Wendell Moore Jr., Jeremy Roach and Trevor Keels are the first line of contact when it comes to defense. Pressure from these guys is no doubt very important.
But what stands behind them is what could be the difference-maker. Collectively, Duke has strength in the frontcourt with Mark Williams, Paolo Banchero and Theo John. What they do as Duke moves into the final weeks of the regular season and then the postseason could determine how deep into March they can go.
“They’re the key to our team, to be honest with you,” Duke associate head coach Chris Carrawell said recently. “I know the perimeter guys are sexy and they get a lot of notoriety, but Mark Williams and Theo John and those guys are our anchors.”
John has been particularly important over the lat five games, blocking nine shots over that time, while also providing a presence on the glass. Defensively, though, his ability to protect the rim, while also understanding when to attack versus when to stay home and focus on rebounding opportunities has been critical.
This is not just the case in games, but also during practice sessions and on the bench. This is where his leadership has been extremely important.
It is particularly true when considering his impact on Williams.
Duke’s 7-foot sophomore center has established himself as one of the nation’s premier shot-blockers. He ranks No. 10 nationally and No. 1 in the ACC with 3.04 blocks per game. Combine the number of shots he alters, or how his presence alone detracts opponents from even attacking the hoop, and his importance to Duke’s defensive success cannot be overstated.
In fact, to Carrawell’s point, it anchors this team’s defensive approach. And when he’s on top of his game, the Blue Devils can be downright scary.
There are questions, though, as to whether Duke will be able to find that consistent level of defensive success. Williams is still just a sophomore. So topics of conversation with the coaching staff often center on the fact Williams is still learning.
“He’s gotten better,” Krzyzewski said. “He blocks shots. I think at times he goes to block too many. One, he tries to block shots that he shouldn’t and that moment where you have to decide, do I block out the big or do I go for the shot. That’s a learned process and he’s getting better at it, but he still needs to get better on it.
“Coach Carrawell works with him every day on that. He and Theo (John).”
It’s a thing of beauty when Williams is locked in and making the correct split-second decision more often than not.
He’s a force and changes the game almost instantly. When breaking down the numbers, there’s no denying he is one of the most impactful big men in the country.
Though his individual rankings place him among the top 10 in the nation, advanced metrics show he’s even better than that. When comparing his numbers to those of the top 5 in blocked shots — Walker Kessler (Auburn), Jamarion Sharp (Western Kentucky), John Broome (Morehead State), Jayveous McKinnis (Jackson State), Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga) and Ike Obiagu (Seton Hall) — Williams actually sits higher in the rankings.
Per 40 minutes of action, Williams is averaging 5.55 blocks per contest, placing him No. 4 behind Kessler (7.36), Sharp (6.28) and Obiagu (6.23).
Where things seem to fall apart at times for Williams, however, goes back to Krzyzewski’s position of contention: going for too many blocks.
Williams has undoubtedly matured in this department as the year has progressed, but it remains an area of opportunity for him.
This would particularly show in his ability clean up the boards, thus helping to eliminate opponents from piling up offensive rebounds. Duke as a whole has done better in that regard as of late, allowing just 9.33 offensive rebounds per game over the last six. That comes after allowing 17.5 in the four per games prior.
For Williams, though, he is averaging just 6.7 rebounds per game, and only 6.3 over the last six.
As Krzyzewski touched on earlier, making the decision to block out versus going for the block is an area of emphasis for Williams in practice. Carrawell says it’s something they never take a day off from as a staff when it comes to teaching the finer details.
“That’s one of the things we’re working with Mark with,” Carrawell said. “You’ve got to pick and choose a little bit because he tries to go get everything. A lot of that, he’s the leading shot blocker in the conference and one of the tops in the country, and the confidence – you think you can go get everything, which more times than not, he can.
“But some of those times he can’t get to those shots, it leaves a small on a big, and the athleticism that we play against in the ACC, those guys are cleaning that up. Even if a guard gets down there, those guys are big and on the rim. I talked to Mark about, ‘Be a little bit more selective. If you know you can’t get to it and our guard is right there and he’s taking a tough shot, stay with the big.’ I think with film work and just working on it, that will help.”
According to Krzyzewski and Carrawell, Williams works hard in this department. Though there’s still work to be done, he has clearly grown over the course of the season.
With the season winding down, Williams’ progression on defense will be immensely important. How he improves could be a major determining factor in how the rest of the year plays out for this team.
It’s certainly not on his shoulders alone, but Williams has the ability to be a game changer and for him that might mean not going after every shot attempt but gaining a more complete grasp of how he can impact the game defensively in other ways.
Mark has only just scratched the surface of what he can be. Once he puts it all together, he will be a true force. I doubt he will be at Duke next year but if he can keep improving this season and consistently stay out of foul trouble, we are a FF team. This team is just DIFFERENT when he is on the floor. His ability to block and alter shots creates transition opportunities for the guards and wings that don't happen with frequency otherwise.