Lakers fans want to forget how Mark Williams looked in last matchup vs. Los Angeles

There has been a lot of excitement surrounding the trade that brought Mark Williams to the Los Angeles Lakers, and rightfully so. The former Charlotte Hornets center brings an excellent athletic build that both Luka Doncic and LeBron James should be able to maximize within the Lakers offense. However, while there is defensive upside with Williams as well, there is also a lot of room for growth for the third-year pro.

Williams was averaging 1.2 blocks and 0.7 steals, while posting 0.9 defensive win shares and a +1.0 defensive box plus/minus. Those numbers are not bad, by any means, but also stand to gain some improvement.

For anyone that would have liked to attribute any shortcomings to the Hornets as a team overall, this should not be the case. The Hornets, to this point in the 2024-25 season, have posted a respectable 113.4 defensive rating. That ranks them 15th overall, a few spots higher than the Lakers (18th).

The glaring example that Lakers fans will want to forget, of how much room for growth Williams still has, would be his last matchup against Los Angeles where Anthony Davis gave him the business.

Davis lit up Williams for a dominant performance

The last matchup between the Lakers and Hornets took place on January 27th, 2025. Williams finished the game with a respectable 11 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. The former Hornets center even had a block and a steal to go with it. However, Davis' stats looks otherworldly from that game.

The former Lakers superstar posted an incredible 40-20 game in the victory for Los Angeles. The efficiency with which he scored 42 points was impressive too. Davis shot 17-of-28 from the field. The nine-time All-Star also forced his way to the free throw line for 10 attempts. Williams finished that game with four personal fouls.

It can feel a little unfair to measure performances against some of the NBA's best, like Davis. However, Williams will be thrust into a situation where a lot of defensive responsibility will inevitably fall onto him in Los Angeles. The Lakers need him to be an anchor down low and the newest Lakers big man may still have to grow into that role.

Nate Duncan provided a great analysis of where he believed Williams is currently situated as an NBA player. There were no question marks about the finishing ability or offensive rebounding. However, on the other end, Duncan beleived Williams still has "a long way to go defensively." The unfortunate evaluation of his defense led to the conclusion of the NBA analyst being unsure of whether Williams will ever truly realize his potential there due to "a lot of instances when he's in position and doesn't have an effect."

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic shared a similar sentiment in the tweet above that was quoted with the big Davis stat line.

Lakers fans surely do not want to hear doom and gloom about the situation defensively. Plus, Williams is only 23. There should still be time for him to develop. However, perhaps there is some reason to, at the least, temper expectations on one end of the basketball court.