After a day of working out down in Miami, where he temporarily moved to prepare for the NBA draft, Duke center Mark Williams attended Game 5 of the 2022 Eastern Conference finals. Seated in the third row, Williams marveled at the intensity, physicality and general skill level unfolding before him, from Jayson Tatum’s masterful floor game to Jaylen Brown throwing down one of the postseason’s marquee dunks.
Williams took note of how both teams communicated on defense, calling out every screen, verbally elevating one another on the court. But, most importantly, he had his eyes trained on the big men, like Robert Williams III, Boston’s bouncy anchor who changed games all year long.