I’ll continue to say and scream it from the Hollywood sign: ZIAIRE WILLIAMS IS ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED PICKUPS OF THE OFFSEASON! While the additions of Walker Kessler or Quentin Grimes stole the headlines, Rob Pelinka snatching up Williams for the minimum has been overlooked.
Obviously, I’m not surprised, as he played with the tanking Brooklyn Nets last season. He has also been deemed by some to be a draft bust after being a highly touted prospect and high school player. But last season, Williams reinvented himself.
For Brooklyn, he became their point-of-attack defender and someone who could be a real threat guarding multiple positions. At Lakers Mediay Day, he spoke about the role he expects to play with this team, and the sheer versatility he highlighted is why Williams needs to start for LA.
"Being a big 6-foot-10 guard, versatile, could guard wings, forwards, point guards on defense. And then be able to shoot on the perimeter on offense, drive, catch lobs, just do a little bit of everything."
Ziaire Williams should start on the wings for JJ Redick
Williams really bought in defensively with the Nets last season, averaging 1.8 stocks (steals plus blocks) per game. He finished in the 94th percentile in steal percentage according to Cleaning the Glass.
This, along with his 3-point shot, showed the two parts of Williams' game that were missing as a prospect. Funny enough, he also improved as an outside shooter last season, shooting a career-high 34.3 percent from deep. With those two tools in his back pocket, his ability to handle the ball as a point forward and playmake shine more.
The last part of his quote, where he highlights his desire to 'just do a little bit of everything' is by far the most important part. Williams' ability to fit into several offensive roles while being a primary on-ball defender is exactly what LA needs from the wing spot.
For a while, I was all for starting Grimes at three and being slightly undersized. The more I think about Williams and his tools, the more his fit as a starter makes sense.
Ziaire has the ability to catch and shoot triples at a decent rate, and probably at a more open rate than ever with Luka Doncic drawing as much attention as he does. His ability to catch lobs, be a roll man, and create for his teammates makes him that Swiss Army knife wing I tried to convince myself and Lakers fans that Jake LaRavia could be last year.
Williams also finished in the 70th percentile in block percentage last season, according to Cleaning the Glass. Having him start games with Kessler would give him some weak-side rim-protection help. Defensively, Williams' length on the wing would instantly make it harder for opponents to penetrate LA’s defense than if Grimes were out there.
We’ve seen players like Derrick Jones Jr. break out when playing on the wing next to Luka; Williams could be exactly that, except he’s even bigger than DJJ was. If JJ Redick's goal is to roll with the starting lineup that has the highest possible upside, Williams' comments at media day made it clear he has to be included.
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