3 NBA Draft prospects to watch in the Sweet 16 of March Madness

3 NBA Draft prospects to watch in the Sweet 16 of March Madness: Mark Williams, Duke

Similar to our last example, Mark Williams isn’t the first player anyone thinks of when they think of the Duke Blue Devils. That player would be Paolo Banchero, who is projected, like Chet Holmgren, to be a top-three pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

But while Banchero has been stealing the show, scoring all the points, and improving his own draft stock, Williams has been the perfect second fiddle, holding it down for the Blue Devils down low.

During the regular season, Williams averaged 11.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks a night while shooting 71.7 percent from the field. And the crazy part is, he did all that in only 23.3 minutes per game.

The sophomore center has kicked it up a notch during March Madness, though. Through Duke’s first two games, he’s averaged 15.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and a whopping 5.0 blocks while shooting 81.3 percent from the field.

He’s tallied five blocks in each of their first two games and is shaping up to be an elite defensive prospect, although he still has some work to do on that end for it to translate at the NBA level.

Regardless, his shot-blocking is electric and he’s a constant threat to catch a lob. Ranked 21st on ESPN’s best available list, Williams is a must-watch for NBA fans tuning in to March Madness.