Duke’s Mark Williams declares for NBA Draft

The 7-foot sophomore started all 39 games for the Blue Devils this past season, averaging 11.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 23.6 minutes per game. He was named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.

He’s currently listed No. 18 on ESPN’s Best Available prospects list and second among projected centers behind only Memphis’ Jalen Duren, who also declared on Monday. According to ESPN’s analysis posted in mid-March, Williams is “one of the best shot-blockers in this draft class and brings a consistent presence as a vertical spacer and an offensive rebounder for Duke, finishing 71% of his field goal attempts, with nearly half of those makes coming on dunks.”

Williams is a traditional post player. He he only attempted one 3-pointer in his two seasons at Duke. He had a 28-point, 12-rebound, 3-block performance against Syracuse late in the regular season. He posted 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks against Arkansas in the West Region Elite 8 contest.