There's probably a lot of discussion about Jalen Duren vs. Mark Williams among teams who want a pure center, as they both boil down to "drop coverage centers, rim protectors, rim runners/lob catchers on offense." Their skill sets are very similar. But, before I'm accused of flagrant homerism, I give Mark the (slight) edge on three fronts.

1. He's bigger. Clearly taller, clearly longer-- he had a 9'9 standing reach at the combine, which is *bonkers.* He's not the strong explosive athlete Duren is, but he's still pretty strong and explosive in his own right, and that added length means that, of the two players, Williams is less likely to get completely roasted in switches. I don't think either is a switchable big, but if they both get put on an island by a guard, Williams will be slightly more disruptive and slightly better able to recover due to length, and I think that matters.

2. He's a better shooter. 72% from the stripe vs. 62% for Duren. I don't think either of them can become pick-and-pop guys-- or rather, if they can become that, they haven't shown it consistently yet. Williams made a few nice mid-range jumpers this season, but I can't imagine he'll unleash that unless he's completely left alone. Still, it's there, and you have to like that Williams almost certainly isn't a guy you can just foul and send to the line. Neither of these guys should be taking shots in the NBA... but the free throw line matters.

3. Higher motor. Duren sometimes floated this season-- and maybe you can chalk that up to the disaster at Memphis or Duren's younger age, but with Williams, you don't get that concern. He's the first guy down the floor on offense, despite being your rim protector on defense. Dude books it for his size. If anything, his motor is so high that he sometimes tries to block *too* many shots on defense, even ones he can't reasonably get-- he'll maybe need to learn to control his emotion a little out there, but I'd rather have that guy than the guy with less consistent effort.

The upside here is "taller Clint Capela." The same way Atlanta uses Capela, that's how teams should use Williams. Downside is bench big man/shot blocker, but I really like his potential to stay in the NBA for a long time. There's good pedigree, high motor, and great size. He's a high IQ guy who knows his role and plays it to perfection. I'd *love* for Charlotte to draft him.