Mark Williams excited to learn from one of NBA’s greats: ‘To have him here will be really cool’

Upon catching a glimpse of Mark Williams this summer, two key members of the Charlotte Hornets’ brain trust immediately noticed something wasn’t quite the same.

“They were like, ‘You look a little bigger,’ ” Williams said Wednesday. “So, I was like, ‘Yeah.’ “

Williams, the Hornets’ second-year starting center, was referring to team president/GM Mitch Kupchak and coach Steve Clifford. The duo were slightly caught off guard given how Williams spent a good portion of the offseason’s initial weeks recovering from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb.

The injury cost him an opportunity to further fine-tune his skills at summer league, which was the plan before the Hornets found out in June that the Duke product needed to go under the knife and take it light with his right hand for a while.

So Williams had to find another way to get the most out of his offseason workouts, resulting in him adding roughly 12 pounds to the 7-foot, 240-pound frame he played with as a rookie — while still maintaining his same speed, balance and lateral movement. That extra time in the weight room appears to be paying off, and it’s been detectable by his teammates in the opening week of training camp as the Hornets prepare for a highly-anticipated 2023-24 campaign.

“I think me being out for a little bit,” Williams said, “having to lift a little bit more at the time, it kind of helped me.”

The key now is for Williams to make sure that translates on the court. The extra bulk can’t hurt. At least it’s not supposed to.

“It’s a battle of contact,” Clifford said. “So, if you are a lot stronger than me and the ball goes up and I try to hit you and you stand still and I move back, it’s as simple as that. Cuts, ducking, sealing, block outs — it’s a big thing.”

As is having one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players at your disposal.

What can Williams learn from Patrick Ewing?

Patrick Ewing is back with the Hornets as a coaching consultant, assisting Clifford, and Williams can greatly benefit from the 61-year-old’s veteran tutelage. Williams stockpiled 11 double-doubles in 44 games last season, the sixth-most in a season by a rookie in franchise history, and finished second among first-year players in blocks per game, swatting one shot an outing.

Defensively, he anchored the Hornets’ inside and provided the interior presence they desperately searched for and needed. Imagine the possibilities with Ewing in his ear, pointing things out he wouldn’t otherwise know.

“Obviously, what he can do, what he’s done, and then now to have a legend like that here will be great for me,” Williams said. “He obviously played the ‘5,’ played against a lot of greats. So, to have him here will be really cool.”

The opportunity to learn from a walking encyclopedia doesn’t come often. Picking Ewing’s brain as much as possible is on Williams’ daily agenda.

“Just sort of asking him questions,” Williams said. “What he experienced, what he did against different styles and things that he played. So, just sort of asking him all the questions, really.”

That’s partially why Clifford brought in his old buddy. Ewing’s lengthy career gives Williams, backup center Nick Richards and others a wealth of expertise to tap into.

“I think he can help Mark, Nick, but I think he can help all of them,” Clifford said. “It’s not just a big-man coach. Pat’s a great coach. So, I feel like that with all the experience he’s had — not just as a player, but as a coach — I think he can help all of them. It’s just great to have him around.”

Working to add 3-point shot to his game

About the only thing Ewing probably can’t give Williams too much of a tutorial in: hoisting up jumpers beyond the arc. Ewing had a face-up jumper as part of his arsenal, but he wasn’t a 3-point shooter, canning just 15.6% of his career attempts. His best effort came in 1994-95 when he nailed 6 of 21 from deep.

Williams’ 251 shot attempts during his rookie season all came inside the 3-point arc and he wants to add a 3-pointer to his repertoire. He’s worked on refining the stroke and has plans to unleash it when necessary.

“Sure,” Williams said. “I think I will take them during the season if they are in rhythm. If I’m open, I’m going to take good shots, going to feel confident taking them. Yeah, I’m not going take any bad ones.”

“Ideally,” he added with a smirk.

In the meantime, Williams intends on making sure he’s in rhythm and in sync with the rest of the Hornets as he begins checking off some of the boxes leading into the season.

“Yeah, obviously there’s nothing like game shape, so (it’s about) going up and down,” Williams said. “I was able to do a lot of stuff with my left hand anyway, so I feel pretty good as far as footwork and stuff goes. I would say the biggest thing is having full confidence to use my right hand again. I feel pretty good doing that.”