The build up to a new Los Angeles Lakers season is being felt now that media day and training camp are on the horizon. Although the Lakers still have some roster concerns, fans are excited about the many new faces in the building.
Among the new names that has generated the most buzz from fans is 25-year-old swingman Ziaire Williams, especially after a rumor began going around that Williams has put on a ton of muscle. Entering his sixth season, the former Brooklyn Net is a contender for the Lakers’ final starting job, and if his energy and spirit is anything like they say it is, he may even establish himself as the frontrunner after training camp and preseason.
Lakers Fans Should Have High Hopes for Williams
Williams was signed to a minimum contract in free agency as part of a Lakers roster haul. The team made a quick succession of free-agent acquisitions after landing star big man Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz in a blockbuster sign-and-trade. As for Williams, not only is he still young and very much ascending, but he has also been praised for having that mentality fans especially love.
“What Ziaire lacks on the court he certainly makes up for in the locker room,” CJ Holmes of the New York Daily News recently told Lakers reporter Jovan Buha.
When asked about how Williams’ personality translates to the court, Holmes said, “I definitely think that’s true. Ziaire definitely has that dog in him. He’ll ride for his guys out there.”
What will especially work in the Lakers’ favor is, even if he doesn’t start or play a ton of minutes, he will still contribute to a winning environment.
“I think it’s less about his game and just more of the guy that he is in the locker room,” Holmes said when asked what the most underrated thing about Williams is. “… He’s great to deal with, he’s beloved by his teammates, comes from a great family and he just always radiates positivity.”
Williams Has Unique Opportunity On Hand
Coming off a promising season with the Nets, averaging a career-high in points, Williams has the opportunity to showcase himself on a big stage while playing in a major market. He is expected to outperform his contract, and if he can click with Luka Doncic on the court like many forwards of his ilk have previously, he can position himself for a healthy payday next summer.
Williams can win the starting power forward job, which would go a long way toward setting himself up for success in his first season as a Laker. As Buha noted in a previous episode of “Buha’s Block,” the Lakers have four sure-fire starters and will probably wait for training camp and preseason to play out before deciding who will be the fifth starter.
Buha believes that Williams has the most upside among as many as six options for the Lakers’ starting power forward job. Williams is on the younger side, brings athleticism, the ability to play off the ball and the tools to operate as the primary point-of-attack defender. But he’ll have to prove all of that in his purple-and-gold threads to earn the nod from coach JJ Redick.
Lakers Get Exciting News as New 6’9″ SF Praised for Having ‘That Dog in Him’