The Atlanta Hawks signed center Malik Williams to a two-way contract. Williams is a 27-year-old big man with an official height and weight of 6’11, 250 pounds. With this alone, he addresses the biggest hole in Atlanta's lineup: their lack of true center size.
The Hawks desperately need size at the center position right now. Kristaps Porzingis cannot be relied upon on a nightly basis, and N’Faly Dante tore his ACL at the G League Winter Showcase. This leaves a center depth chart of Onyeka Okongwu, Mouhamed Gueye, and Asa Newell.
The problem with this lineup is that only one member of this trio identifies as a center, but he’s just 6’8. Okongwu is a remarkable center, but he simply cannot match the size of some of the biggest players in the NBA. Gueye has the length Okongwu lacks, but he is 30 pounds lighter than Okongwu at just 210 lbs. Newell probably will be a capable center one day, but he’s a 20-year-old rookie who still has weight to pack on.
This is not a competent big man rotation. The Hawks planned for Okongwu to be the backup five, and Gueye and Newell are simply not centers. To solve this problem, the Hawks signed Williams.
Williams should have a reliable, albeit low-ceiling, impact
Williams is in his third year as a professional athlete, playing three seasons in the G League and seven games in the NBA. As the primary starting five for the Skyhawks, Williams is averaging 16.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks a night.
As a stretch five, Williams also fits the mold of center Onsi Saleh has targeted as GM of the Hawks. Kristaps Porzingis, Onyeka Okongwu, and Asa Newell can all shoot the ball, which frees up space for the non-shooting Dyson Daniels on offense. Williams is hitting the three ball at a 33.3% clip on 6.9 attempts a game this season. While the percentage is lower than ideal, he’s provided evidence he can be efficient in a smaller role – last season, he averaged 40.0% on 3.5 attempts.
Williams will likely get low-usage playing time as the backup big until the Hawks have a practice to properly integrate him into the team’s system. His NBA debut two seasons ago was marred by the overwhelming dysfunction of the Raptors, which included plenty of on and off-court drama. While this isn’t an ideal situation for Williams to enter, at the very least, the Hawks have minimal off-court issues.