Mark Williams is Top-5 in this major statistic
When the Lakers decided to pull the trigger on Charlotte Hornets’ big man Mark Williams, they knew they were getting an outstanding young piece to pair with Luka for years.
The third-year 7’2 center from Duke has been impressive in his young career, but in this one specific statistic, he is one of the league’s best.
The list of names outperforming Williams in this statistic is slim, and they might shock you. The players above him include Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Anthony Davis. That’s the entire list.
Player Efficiency Rating
The player efficiency rating (PER) is a rating of a player’s per-minute productivity created by John Hollinger of ESPN. The ratings can then be put into tiers to establish a player’s general status in the league. That tier list can be seen below:
- All-time great season: 35.0 +
- Runaway MVP candidate: 30.0 – 35.0
- Strong MVP candidate: 27.5 – 30.0
- Weak MVP candidate: 25.0 – 27.5
- Definite All-Star: 22.5 – 25.0
- Borderline All-Star: 20.0 – 22.5
- Second offensive option: 18.0 – 20.0
- Third offensive option: 16.5 – 18.0
- Slightly above-average player: 15.0 – 16.5
- Rotation player to Third option: 13.0 – 18.0
According to ESPN, Mark Williams is fifth on the list with a PER of 26.84. For reference, some of the players below Williams include Karl Anthony-Towns, Victor Wembenyama, and even Williams’ newest teammate, Luka Dončić.
While PER can sometimes be a deceiving statistic, it’s generally an excellent indicator of true talent. The Lakers’ success in securing Williams further proves that they knocked yet another trade out of the park.
