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Mark Williams: Will The Risk Pay Off For The Lakers?
Mark Williams: Will The Risk Pay Off For The Lakers?
It is no longer about LeBron with the Lakers. Everything that LA does moving forward will be about Luka Doncic. If the Mark Williams trade was evidence of that, I’m not sure what else to tell you.
Williams, 23, was acquired by the Lakers for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2030 pick swap, and 2031 first round pick. A semi-heavy package to give up for a player that hasn’t been on the court a ton. However, it’s worth noting that Rob Pelinka did such a great job talking the Mavericks down on the Luka package that they kinda used those remaining assets to also land Williams.
Pelinka won’t get a ton of credit today but he absolutely deserves it. His shrewd behavior to play hardball on the Luka trade scored them Williams too. That part can’t be ignored here.
Don’t get me wrong, trading for Williams was a risk. The former Duke product played 19 games last year and has only played in 23 games this year. The positive is that he’s somehow younger than Knecht and should be far more motivated to bring it with the Lakers.
Williams might be a risk from a health standpoint but nobody should blame the Lakers for making this move. His wingspan is enormous and this creates the vertical spacing Luka Doncic needs to thrive. Williams is the new lob threat and he was already posting impressive numbers prior to the trade.
This dude has real talent and has a chance to emerge as one of the best centers in the league. In just 25 minutes per night, Williams was averaging 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game. That’s on 58.6% shooting. Has plenty of room to grow yet too.
I love this move by the Lakers. They needed a center to replace Anthony Davis and they found a young star in the making. Now it’s about keeping him healthy and motivated, which seems far more doable on a team who has winning aspirations compared to being stuck with the Hornets.
Oh, and you can say whatever you want about Trey but I also totally called this move happening on the latest episode of Court is in Session. Soooooooooooo.
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