Following the blockbuster trade to acquire Luka Dončić earlier this week, the Los Angeles Lakers weren’t done dealing just yet. Early Thursday morning — just hours before the 3 p.m. ET trade deadline — the Lakers reportedly agreed to a deal to acquire big man Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets.
But while the move was met with immediate praise for the Lakers, who seemingly filled the glaring hole in their frontcourt left by the departure of Anthony Davis as a part of the Dončić trade, not everybody in Charlotte is sad to see Williams go.
On Monday night — two days before the 7-foot center was dealt to Los Angeles — the Hornets lost to the lowly Washington Wizards 124-114. And at halftime of the contest, at which point Charlotte trailed 77-54, Hornets Live analyst Terrence Oglesby didn’t hold back when it came to addressing Williams’ effort — or lack thereof.
“I’m just gonna say it: I’m OK when shots are missed. I’m OK when errors happen. But if there’s at least effort, I can live with those things,” the former Clemson standout 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.
“He was so poor from an effort perspective today, that they had to switch him off of Jonas Valančiūnas and then he was giving up wide-open threes because he wasn’t hustling out to contest threes. The effort has to be better. You might be down 23 points — whatever. But the effort has to be better.”
Hard truths by @T_Oglesby22:
“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
— /r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) February 4, 2025
Oglesby added of Williams: “If you’re going to be the center of a franchise where they’ve invested in you and they have planned for you to be a core piece of what they’re gonna be moving forward, that effort is unacceptable.”
Either Oglesby thought too highly of Mark Williams’ place in the Hornets’ hierarchy, the team agreed with his assessment or the Lakers merely made Charlotte an offer — Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap — it couldn’t refuse. In any event, the 23-year-old big man is on his way to Los Angeles, where he won’t have to wait long to be featured in the national spotlight.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.