Mark Williams’ final stats against North Carolina State were notable: 28 minutes, 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, 5 blocks and 5 rebounds. But even before he started stuffing the stat sheet, his mere presence, both offensively and defensively, facilitated the best performance from the Blue Devils since they seemingly turned the corner against Clemson two weeks ago.
But his emergence begs the question: where does Duke go from here?
It’s become increasingly clear that Duke’s pieces fit together better with Williams on the floor. While he’s no Vernon Carey in the post offensively, defensively he’s already a developed rim protector.