It is tough to win on the margins in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers should have plenty of confidence in thinking they managed to do just that with Ziaire Williams.
A veteran minimum was all it took to bring the former lottery pick to Los Angeles. For that low price, the Lakers should have themselves a starting forward. Out of context, that could sound disastrous in a lot of other instances. This one could easily prove to be the exact opposite.
When the Jonathan Kuminga situation did not break in the Lakers' favor, and even before that exact moment, there were plenty who had been talking themselves into the Williams signing. That includes present company typing away on this keyboard. The early returns are rewarding that faith.
Ziaire Williams' offense is standing out as much as his defense
Defense was the thing that brought Williams to Los Angeles. Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times pointed to that during one of her recent write-ups.
"During his first two years as the Lakers coach, [JJ] Redick admired Williams’ intent on the defensive end from afar and commended the forward’s willingness to defend other teams’ star players," Nguyen wrote.
That willingness to bring his best on defense was always going to be how Ziaire made an impression. Packaged with that was a sneaky hope about his offensive fit with the Lakers. Luka Doncic was exactly the type of player built to maximize someone like Williams.
It was just two games, and preseason at that, but the new Lakers forward looked good on the attack. Williams scored 13 points, shooting 4-of-6 from the field, in the preseason opener against the Sacramento Kings. In the finale of the tune-up games, Ziaire notched 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Over those games, Williams hit a combined 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. There was also a comfort with which Ziaire operated within the offense overall. The short version: the two-way impact looked pretty darn good.
Ziaire Williams thriving as a starter would completely justify Lakers fans
Early impressions are a nice start, but the next part is what matters most moving forward. Williams and the Lakers still have 82 regular season games in front of them. Ziaire needs to keep building on the initial good will.
It is fair to project Williams will win one of the two starting jobs in Los Angeles. Ziaire did not get to play more than two preseason games due to being banged up. However, Redick did start him at every opportunity that was given.
Should that continue throughout the 2026-27 season, and Williams delivers not only as a defender but a capable two-way force, the Lakers will have secured one of the best bargains of free agency. Everyone who bought stock early can then turn around and deliver a very satisfying "I told you so."
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