The Ziaire Williams propaganda has been in full force around here throughout the summer. The early returns from Los Angeles Lakers training camp are only inviting that hype to continue into the fall. Williams is already making a strong case to push for one of the two vacant starting spots.
When Ziaire stepped to the podium at Lakers Media Day, he was asked what JJ Redick emphasized for him. Williams discussed playing with edge, causing commotion, picking up full court and being physical regarding the defensive end of the equation. Early talk out of training camp suggests the young forward meant every word he said.
Austin Reaves highlighted Williams alongside Matisse Thybulle as two of the defensive standouts on Wednesday. The star guard emphasized how difficult it was to score on either.
Quentin Grimes was right there with Reaves. The new Laker also brought up both Thybulle and Williams in his efforts to hype up the entire team's unit on defense.
Anyone paying attention will notice Matisse coming up right beside Ziaire in a lot of cases. Thybulle should not be overlooked here. However, Williams has the much more clear-cut case to be the guy who eventually wins one of the spots in the starter competition for Los Angeles.
Ziaire Williams has what the Lakers need in the starting lineup
There are two main reasons to give Williams the edge over his counterpart who was also receiving his fair share of praise. For one, managing Thybulle's health may be easier with a super-sub role. The second, from an on-court perspective, has to do with Ziaire offering more size and defensive versatility.
The latter was something Williams made his case for during Lakers Media Day. Ziaire wanted it to be known he can guard wings, forwards, point guards, whatever. That type of switchability and versatility gives him a clear pathway to earning that starting spot.
Make no mistake about it, Williams wants it. He said as much earlier in the summer.
Talk is cheap until you back it up with on-court play. By the sound of it, that has not been an issue for Williams whatsoever.
If Ziaire can keep the defensive praise coming, all he needs to pair that with is stable offense. If Redick can see that Williams is offering the best combination of deliverables on both ends of the floor, the Lakers head coach will get what he was asking for in search of his finalized starters.
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