Ziaire Williams and Bronny James in Lakers uniforms
Ziaire Williams and Bronny James in Lakers uniforms
Ziaire Williams is looking forward to the next chapter of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers. His decision to sign in free agency represents a homecoming. It also reunites him with former high school teammate Bronny James.
Williams and James played together on a Sierra Canyon team that advanced to the state championship before the postseason was canceled due to Covid-19. They'll now team up together for the Lakers as they attempt to return to contender status.
“It’s going to be fun playing with Bronny again,” Williams said on a Lakers team YouTube video. “We grew a lot together at Sierra Canyon, and we’ve been friends ever since. So, it’s been cool to see him make it to the big leagues and keep progressing, keep getting better, and I’m excited to be back on his team again.”
Williams signed a one-year veteran minimum deal with the Lakers following a stint with the Brooklyn Nets.
The former top-10 pick averaged 10.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 23.7 minutes per game across two seasons with the Nets. While he's relatively limited offensively, he showed significant improvement as a three-point shooter with Brooklyn, converting 34.2 percent on 9.7 attempts per 100 possessions. Williams shot 30.1 percent from three on 8.7 attempts per 100 possessions across his first three NBA seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Ziaire Williams excited for next chapter with Lakers after two-year Nets stint
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) drives against Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams (1) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena.
William Liang-Imagn Images
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The 6-foot-9 wing made an impact defensively in spurts with Brooklyn using his athleticism and 6-foot-10 wingspan. Brooklyn's defense was 5.0 points better per 100 possessions with Williams on the court than off, the NBA's fifth-best defensive rating swing among all wings to play over 500 minutes, behind only Marcus Smart (-7.3), Kawhi Leonard (-6.6), Donte DiVincenzo (-6.6) and Cedric Coward (-5.5), per CleaningTheGlass.
Williams' three-point shooting and point-of-attack defense could prove valuable in a reserve role with Los Angeles, especially at just $2.8 million. The Lakers have a glaring need for capable three-and-D contributors alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
“Seeing my name on the Lakers jersey was super surreal,” Williams said of his homecoming. “A blessing. I can't even explain it in words. I'm just so excited to be back home and play in front of the fans and my family. I would have never imagined this day would come… I love guarding the best player on the other team, providing the energy, making winning plays, playing in transition, knocking down threes. Just doing all the little things that it takes to win.”
Meanwhile, James remains with the Lakers as he enters his third season, despite his father's departure for the Philadelphia 76ers. The 21-year-old appeared in 42 games with one start last season, averaging 2.9 points and 1.2 assists while shooting 22-of-57 (38.6 percent) from three.
James played 24 minutes across Games 3 and 4 of the Lakers' first-round series against the Houston Rockets. He scored 10 points while shooting 4-of-7 from the field and 2-of-5 from three. The former second-round pick played in 14 G League games with the South Bay Lakers, averaging 15.6 points on .564/.456/.786 shooting splits with 3.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
The Lakers have the sixth-best odds to win the Western Conference (+2500) following an offseason that saw them add Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Colin Sexton. They trail the Oklahoma City Thunder (+125), San Antonio Spurs (+155), Denver Nuggets (+1400), Minnesota Timberwolves (+1500) and Houston Rockets (+1700), per FanDuel Sportsbook. Los Angeles' over-under win total is 44.5.