Hornets analyst rips Mark Williams for brutal first half in Wizards loss

Without LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, Mark Williams is no worse than the second option whenever he's on the floor. Sometimes, and there is a case to be made that it's all the time, he's the first option. Williams has to carry a lot more of the load than usual, but the flashes he's shown over his NBA career with the Charlotte Hornets suggest that he's capable of it.
Terrence Oglesby, one of the Hornets' halftime analysts, went in on Williams at the break last night. The Hornets were down big to the Washington Wizards, a team that had seven wins at the time. Williams' effort level was, in Oglesby's eyes, inexcusable.
Hard truths by @T_Oglesby22:
— /r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) February 4, 2025
"I'm OK when shots are missed. I'm OK when errors happen. If there's at least effort, I can live with those things. Mark Williams has put together a first half that I've never seen from a starting center at the NBA level. Heck, maybe college level." pic.twitter.com/wDZVITx9k2
"I'm OK when shots are missed. I'm OK when errors happen. If there's at least effort, I can live with those things," Oglesby said. "Mark Williams has put together a first half that I've never seen from a starting center at the NBA level. Heck, even maybe the college level."
Oglesby said the effort was so low that the Hornets had no choice but to switch him off of Jonas Valenciunas, but that led to open threes because Williams didn't run out to contest the shots. It played a part in the Hornets allowing an astonishing 46 second-quarter points to the Wizards.
Oglesby added, "If you're going to be the center of a franchise where they've invested in you, they've planned for you to be a core piece of what they're going to be moving forward, that effort is unacceptable."
Williams did play better overall in the second half, but it wasn't enough. The Hornets cut the 23-point halftime deficit to five late in the third quarter, but they couldn't climb all the way back out of the hole and fell by 10 points. The center finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds in the Hornets' third loss this year to the Wizards, who now have eight wins.
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