It would take more than two starts and more than 12 games for a reset chance to turn into a comeback, but this is a small sample within the scope of a season and career.
But if that happens, and Ziare Williams can take his chance with the Nets and turn it into the consistent play he never had with the Grizzlies, Wednesday night could serve as one of the cornerstones. There is.
Xavier associate head coach Adam Cohen, who was on Stanford's staff during Williams' only season with the Cardinal in 2020-21, said that when he saw footage of the Nets' loss to the Celtics, Williams' He could sense the emotion of the match and felt obvious joy. His one year with the Cardinal turned into a tumultuous three-year stint with the Grizzlies, and he's still getting a fresh start in Brooklyn. 23 years old.
Williams paced the Nets with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting and six rebounds, marking the fifth time in his career he has scored 20 or more points.
Williams always had potential.
There's a reason he was selected 10th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, Cohen said.
He has the 6-foot-9 frame and wingspan to add length to the defense, which teams covet. Injuries and role annihilation thwarted his first chance to put it all together in the NBA, but so far, Williams is taking advantage of his second chance.
“If you're a one-and-done prospect, you're unlikely to be successful right away,” Cohen told the Post. “And I think he had really good success that rookie year, and then, unfortunately, these injuries happened.”
With Dorian Finney-Smith out for Monday's game against the Pelicans and Wednesday's game against the Pelicans, Williams was in the Nets' starting lineup for the first time, rebounding just short of a double-double in New Orleans and two days later. Continued that progress.
Early in the first quarter, Williams intercepted a pass near mid-court and sprinted for a transition dunk.
He then cut backdoor, collected a pass from Cam Thomas and made a layup.
At one point, Jayson Tatum drove on Williams, and his strength, tight defense, forced a turnover, according to Cohen.
The film captures Williams' overall contributions at Stanford, which also shined in his early NBA cameos.
He finished the first half with 16 points and floated into open space to hit a three when the Nets were still in offensive range early in the third quarter.
Through 12 games, Williams averaged career highs in almost everything, including points per game, rebounds per game, field goal percentage, and 3-point percentage.
“They're just taking the dog out of me,” Williams said of the Nets on Wednesday. “That's the most realistic way I can put it.”
His skill set made him a top recruit at Notre Dame High School and Sierra Canyon High School, where Williams taught Cohen and the Stanford staff that he understood passing concepts and reading defenses while also using his length to play guard. He impressed with his ability to do the same. outer circumference.
Cohen said he can defend three or four positions and also switch at the same time, which is an “extraordinary talent.”
Once he arrived in Memphis, the Grizzlies made 31 starts in the regular season, one in the playoffs, and used him at least once to guard Stephen Curry in the Western Conference semifinal series.
There has been increased optimism about his future.
However, Williams missed the first 24 games of his sophomore season due to injury, and ended up starting just four games and 15 games the following year.
Williams said he felt “trapped” at times in Memphis, and after arriving in Brooklyn in a July trade that gave the Grizzlies cap space, he felt like “a wandering bird finally let out of its cage.”
“It shows the talent is there,” Cohen said of the rookie role and playing against Curry. Did you know it's possible?
Wednesday was a sign of that.
The Nets, who are in rebuilding mode, will give Williams the opportunity to grow through reps, game time and difficult matchups on defense and a role on offense.
He could lose his starting spot if Finney-Smith returns as early as Friday, but games like Wednesday's could help earn him regular playing time.
That wasn't always the case at Memphis, especially after injuries started limiting his minutes. That made Williams expendable in the offseason. And it may have given his career the jolt it needed.
