Unlikely Net emerging as top steal of 2024 NBA offseason
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No risk was involved in the Brooklyn Nets’ acquisition of Ziaire Williams this summer, but there was clear upside. General manager Sean Marks acquired the former No. 10 pick and a second-rounder in a cost-cutting move by the Memphis Grizzlies.
Four games into his Nets tenure, Williams looks like one of the top steals of the NBA offseason.
The 6-foot-9 wing has been among the Nets’ top bright spots to start the season, averaging 10.3 points and 4.3 rebounds on 55.2 percent shooting in 18.8 minutes per game. He turned in his best performance to date during Tuesday’s 144-139 overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets, posting 18 points, three rebounds and four assists on 7-of-8 shooting.
Head coach Jordi Fernandez lauded Williams’ two-way impact with the second unit.
"Energy. He brings all that energy off the bench. And that’s contagious,” Fernandez said. “We keep telling the guys mistakes are going to happen, but you can cover with more effort, and that’s what Zaire does. Obviously we will help him as a coaching staff to make less mistakes, but everybody makes mistakes, and his heart is in the right place. His intentions are good. He's trying to do what’s best for the team, and I will always live with those mistakes.
“So Ziaire has just been unbelievable. That’s why his ball pressure against Milwaukee, him and Dennis [Schroder], they were the head snake, and that’s what really, you know, it was a big part of helping us win the game."
Ziaire Williams drains a relocation three before picking up Russell Westbrook fullcourt and forcing a turnover on the other end.
I really can't say enough about how good he's been tonight. pic.twitter.com/zY1RmfVk3X
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) October 30, 2024
Williams said at media day that he felt like “a loose bird let out of its cage” after Memphis traded him to Brooklyn. With the Nets expected to field offers for veteran wings Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, his role should continue to grow as the season progresses.
Ziaire Williams flashes improved two-way skillset with Nets
While Williams always had the size and athleticism to be a plus defender, his engagement on that end has been glaring early in his Nets tenure.
Most questions surrounding his place in the NBA long-term centered on his offensive deficiencies. Williams shot 30 percent from three over three seasons with Memphis while struggling to create off the dribble.
However, he’s shown improvement with Brooklyn, converting 11-of-17 threes (64.7 percent) over his last six appearances, including the preseason. Williams credited a tweak to his approach when speaking on his hot shooting.
"It started last year. Anthony Carter from Memphis was the first person who taught me how to hop into a shot instead of 1-2. And that's allowed me to get a lot more momentum and flow [into my threes],” he said. “I thank god for him every day because I really feel like he honestly somewhat saved my shot… Just consistently getting that base and that momentum to flow, and I've just been rolling with it ever since.
“My summer trainers Joe Abunassar and Chris Johnson, and now with Connor [Griffin] and the rest of the Brooklyn Nets guys, I've kinda just translated that over a little bit… It feels good right now… Just trusting my work and living with the results."
Ziaire Williams – who shot 30% from three in three seasons with Memphis – is 8/12 in his first four games with the Nets. Here he is talking about a mechanical change to his shot:
"It started last year. Anthony Carter from Memphis was the first person who taught me how to hop… pic.twitter.com/xPRj2Y4qRJ
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) October 30, 2024
Williams could follow a similar trajectory to Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith. The veteran wing has similar measurables and struggled shooting early in his career before finding his stroke. Finney-Smith told ClutchPoints earlier this season that he sees some of his younger self in Williams.
Like Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe, Williams is in the final year of his rookie contract and did not receive an extension before the NBA’s Oct. 21 deadline. The 23-year-old will hit restricted free agency next summer. However, if he continues to flash his two-way capabilities, there’s a strong chance he’ll return to Brooklyn as a long-term piece of the team’s rebuild.
"I'm definitely not thinking at all out there, just being myself and playing free,” Williams said of joining the Nets. “It's been good. I've been pushed really hard by all the staff here, and that's what I like. So far, so good. Just gotta keep stacking good days."
The post Unlikely Net emerging as top steal of 2024 NBA offseason appeared first on ClutchPoints.
