Mark Williams didn't just play center for Duke; he effectively deleted the rim for opponents. If you were an opposing guard trying to drive into the lane at Cameron Indoor Stadium between 2020 and 2022, you weren't just fighting a defender. You were fighting a 7-foot-1 wall with a 7-foot-7 wingspan that seemed to cover the entire zip code.
People often look at mark williams duke stats and see a solid big man. That’s a massive understatement. In reality, he was a historic outlier in terms of efficiency and defensive impact.
By the time he finished his sophomore year, Williams had cemented himself as one of the most productive "true" centers in the modern era of Blue Devils basketball. He wasn't shooting threes. He wasn't trying to be a point-forward. He was a rim-running, shot-swatting specialist who did his job better than almost anyone else in the country.
The Sophomore Leap: ACC Defensive Player of the Year
The jump Williams made between his freshman and sophomore seasons was nothing short of staggering. As a freshman, he averaged 7.1 points and 4.5 rebounds. Those are fine numbers, but they didn't scream "future lottery pick."
Then came 2021-22.
In 39 games—all of which he started—Williams averaged 11.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and a dominant 2.8 blocks per game. Those blocks weren't just for show. He finished the season with 110 total blocks, the fourth-highest single-season total in Duke history.
Honestly, it wasn't just the blocks. It was the "nopes." The times players drove in, saw him waiting, and immediately dribbled back out to the perimeter. That kind of gravity doesn't show up in a box score, but the advanced metrics loved him for it.
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Defensive Dominance by the Numbers
- Total Blocks (2021-22): 110 (2nd in Duke history for a single season)
- Career Blocks: 142 (7th all-time at Duke)
- Blocks per game: 2.82 (12th nationally in his sophomore year)
He wasn't a "chase-down" blocker who sold out for highlights. He was a positional master. He understood verticality better than most NBA veterans do now. He’d just go straight up, let the offensive player crash into his chest, and meet the ball at the apex.
Historic Efficiency: The .700/.700 Club
Here is the stat that usually blows people’s minds. In the 2021-22 season, Mark Williams was the only player in the entire country to shoot over 70% from the floor and 70% from the free-throw line (minimum 100 field goals).
Think about that.
Usually, a guy who dunks everything (he had 97 dunks that year, by the way) struggles at the charity stripe. Not Mark. He shot 72.1% from the field and a very respectable 72.7% from the free-throw line.
That 72.1% field goal percentage wasn't just a fluke; it was the second-best single-season mark in the history of Duke basketball. Basically, if Mark Williams took a shot, it was going in. Most of the time, he was just finishing lobs from Wendell Moore Jr. or Paolo Banchero, but his touch on "non-dunk" finishes was surprisingly soft.
The NCAA Tournament Run
When the lights got brightest during Coach K’s final season, Williams didn't blink. In Duke’s five-game run to the Final Four, he was nearly perfect.
He missed exactly seven field goals the entire tournament. Seven.
He went 29-of-36 from the floor during that stretch. That 80.6% shooting clip is a Duke record for any player in the NCAA Tournament with at least 25 attempts.
- vs. Cal State Fullerton: 15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 blocks.
- vs. Michigan State: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks.
- vs. Arkansas (Elite Eight): 12 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks (6-of-6 shooting).
He was the ultimate safety net. If Banchero or AJ Griffin missed a jumper, Mark was there to clean it up. If a guard got beat on the perimeter, Mark was there to erase the mistake at the cup.
What Made His Stats Different?
A lot of bigs put up "empty calories" stats on bad teams. Williams did the opposite. His 32.3 Player Efficiency Rating (PER) as a sophomore was astronomical. He didn't turn the ball over (less than one per game), and he didn't commit dumb fouls despite being the primary rim protector.
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He was also a sneaky-good rebounder, particularly on the offensive end. He averaged 2.6 offensive boards a game as a sophomore. Those second-chance points were often the difference in tight ACC matchups.
A Quick Look at the Career Totals
| Category | Freshman Year | Sophomore Year | Career Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 7.1 | 11.2 | 9.7 |
| Rebounds | 4.5 | 7.4 | 6.3 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 2.8 | 2.3 |
| FG% | .664 | .721 | .704 |
Legacy at Duke
Mark Williams arrived as a four-star recruit (RSCI #25) and left as an undisputed lottery talent. He wasn't the "flashy" pick on those Duke teams—that was Banchero. He wasn't the "shooter"—that was Griffin.
But he was the floor.
He provided a baseline of defensive excellence that allowed everyone else to take risks. Without his 110 blocks and his record-breaking efficiency, that 2022 Final Four team likely exits much earlier. He proved that you don't need to be a floor-spacer to be a modern elite big man; you just need to be elite at what you do.
If you’re looking to analyze similar players, keep an eye on his Block Percentage. At Duke, he swatted 11.4% of all opponent two-point attempts while he was on the floor. That is an elite number that translates to any level of basketball.
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To truly understand how his game evolved, look at his "per 40 minutes" numbers from his sophomore year: 19.0 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.8 blocks. That is pure, unadulterated dominance.
Check out the official Duke Athletics archives or Sports-Reference to see the full game logs from his record-breaking Syracuse performance (28 points) or his 19-rebound masterpiece against Louisville. Both games are masterclasses in how a center can control the pace of a game without ever taking a shot outside of the paint.
Analyze his shooting splits against Top-25 opponents compared to unranked teams. You'll find that his efficiency rarely wavered, proving he wasn't just "stat-padding" against smaller schools. This consistency is exactly why the Charlotte Hornets felt comfortable taking him at 15th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft.