Duke Basketball: 3 takeaways from crushing overtime loss to Georgia Tech

2. Duke’s big man has proven that he has a bright future ahead of him

For a while in this game, it felt like there was no one who could stop Mark Williams on the offensive end – until he fouled out, that is – and that bodes extremely well for Duke heading into the future, to say the least.

Again, just to reiterate how good the 7-0 freshman was against Georgia Tech – he posted a line of 20 points – with a perfect 9-9 clip from the floor but a woeful 2-7 mark on freebies – to go with seven rebounds, one assist, three blocks, and three steals.  In 35 minutes of play, he was just a minus-1.

https://twitter.com/DukeMBB/status/1366935756284063754

Williams’ role with the Blue Devils has, obviously, become much more substantial and significant, particularly in the wake of Jalen Johnson’s departure from the team.  The January 26th meeting with Georgia Tech was just the second time Williams logged more than 10 minutes in a game – and since then, he has found a spot in the starting five, has recorded four double-digit games, and is now shooting a blistering 64.5% inside the arc.

His development and flourishment have been one of the biggest parts of Duke’s resurgence.  There is certainly room for improvement, of course – he did foul out against Georgia Tech, he was just 2-7 from the free-throw line, which ailed Duke down the stretch, and he was partly responsible for Moses Wright‘s monster 29-point, 14-rebound double-double.

But for a Blue Devil squad that has had little positivity to take away from a season where they were once dead-in-the-water, Williams has supplied something to be extremely optimistic about moving into next season.  Even if the Blue Devils fail to make the NCAA Tournament this season, Duke fans should feel safe about having a solid offensive weapon return for next season – particularly if Matthew Hurt, ultimately, decides to leave for professional options.