[https://enjoybasketball.beehiiv.com/p/enjoy-basketball-next-seasons-potential-breakout-players-part-two](https://enjoybasketball.beehiiv.com/p/enjoy-basketball-next-seasons-potential-breakout-players-part-two)
Ziaire Williams was seen as a risky selection when Memphis took him 10th overall in last year’s NBA draft. But the former top-five high school player has shown plenty of promise early in his pro career and may be in for a big season in 2022-23 if Memphis can find the minutes for him.
In the Grizzlies’ offense, Williams mainly operates out of the corner both as a spot-up shooter and high-impact cutter. As a shooter, Williams had some growing pains throughout his lone season at Stanford and the beginning of his rookie year. But he seemed to finally have turned a corner after the all-star break, making over 36% of his three’s on a healthy 4.2 attempts per game.
This newfound shooting stroke not only adds a new dynamic to William’s offensive game but also gives him the extra spacing needed to show off his best attributes, his top-tier cutting ability and vertically around the rim. Williams is incredibly intelligent as a cutter which, combined with his world-class leaping abilities, makes him a force to be reckoned with when attacking the basket.
Just how good was Williams as a cutter and a rim finisher? Well, you really only need one number to understand. His 88.5 FG% within three feet of the basket was the best in the NBA. Not among rookies, not just at his position, but across the entire league.
Williams still has plenty of work to do to round out his game. He’s not a spectacular rebounder for his height, offers little in the playmaking department, and is missing the defensive IQ to match his physical traits. But if he can hit the three more consistently and improve defensively, particularly off the ball, Williams will be primed to be a key piece of a Grizzlies team fighting to stay near the top of the western conference.
6 comments
This writeup screams I looked at his stats and not his play.
Ziaire is not a great finisher, he just mostly takes open dunks around the rim.
Ziaire is also a good playmaker, he just didn’t have the ball in his hands much last year.
Not as much as Bane did, but he will be significantly better.
Disagree with the playmaking, he has court vision. It’s the ballhandling he needs to work on.
I want to believe, but if he’s going to have a breakout year he’ll need to have more success with contested shots and handle the ball better.
I’m not too high on Z tbh. He has his flashes but quite a few games last year and this years summer league didn’t help my impression of him.
Insha’Allah