Duke in the pros: Banchero, Tatum highlight All-Star Voting, Williams posts career high

With NBA season in full swing, the Blue Zone takes a look at some former Blue Devils playing in the highest levels of the pro game:

Mark Williams

It had been almost a full calendar year since Mark Williams suffered a lower back injury, and his return to the NBA hardwood was much anticipated by the Hornets’ faithful. 

The 2022 15th overall pick originally showed promise in his first campaign with Charlotte. A key piece in the rebuild, Williams continued to dominate both the offensive and defensive glass while complementing the Hornets’ young guards with his presence in the paint. But as Charlotte prepared for the 2024-25 campaign, holding its training camp at Duke’s Krzyzewski Center, Williams was on the injury report with a left tendon issue in his foot. The center’s much-anticipated return was delayed once again.

Williams finally took to the court in an early December contest against the Philadelphia 76ers, where he recorded four points and three rebounds in nine minutes. Head coach Charles Lee eased Williams back into NBA-level competition, increasing his minutes throughout the month and ultimately into the starting lineup. 

On Jan. 15, Williams started for the Hornets as they visited the Utah Jazz, dropping a career-high 31 points while also grabbing 13 rebounds. The Hornets trailed for most of the game until a scoring run was capped off by an emphatic Williams dunk, who grabbed the team’s final two points with 18 seconds left on the clock to seal the win. In a Jan. 17 win against the Chicago Bulls, Williams posted 19 points and 19 rebounds.

Regardless of the direction the Hornets’ season takes, one thing is for certain: Mark Williams is back. Absent by injury for almost a year and spending some time in the shadow of LaMelo Ball, Williams is now looking to make his mark on the NBA and solidify himself as a key piece for a rebuilding franchise.

Jayson Tatum 

The evening before Duke’s win against Boston College, the Blue Devils attended Orlando’s game against Boston in a unique meetup of The Brotherhood. While the focus was on the Eastern Conference, the cameras also noticed projected No. 1 NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg (himself a Celtics fan), along with the rest of the Duke men’s basketball program.

Though the Magic suffered a brutal loss to the Tatum-led Celtics, the postgame meetup of the aforementioned players and former Blue Devil Wendell Carter Jr. was a refreshing reminder of the power of Duke’s Brotherhood. 

"It's dope, man, the fact that they're still locked in with me," Carter told Sports Illustrated after the game. 

Though Tatum, Carter and Banchero played at different times at Duke, the bond of The Brotherhood runs deep between them all. They wear different jerseys, but their success in the league reminds them of the camaraderie built by former head coach Mike Krzyzewski and the extensive fingerprints he leaves in the NBA. The moment was a special preview of the Brotherhood’s significance and value for Duke’s current NBA prospects.