Forward Ziaire Williams has a chance to emerge as an important role player on the Los Angeles Lakers this coming season. The 24-year-old is a stellar defender who can also finish strong in transition, and over the last two seasons, he has shown some signs of improving his 3-point shooting.
He spent his childhood in Southern California and attended Sierra Canyon School in the San Fernando Valley at the same time as Bronny James. Williams will now be teammates with James once again, and on a video for the Lakers’ YouTube channel, he said he’s excited to be taking the court with the 21-year-old.
“Shoutout fellow Laker Bronny in the cut, that was my freshman right there,” Williams said. “It’s going to be fun playing with Bronny again. We grew a lot together at Sierra Canyon, and we’ve been friends ever since. It’s been cool to see him make it to the big leagues and keep progressing and keep getting better. I’m excited to be back on his team again.”
Williams averaged 10.2 points in 22.9 minutes a game and shot 34.3% from 3-point range last season as a member of the Brooklyn Nets. In July, he signed a one-year, $2.45 million contract with Los Angeles.
He will help address the team’s big need for athletic defenders who also provide some offensive value at the wing and forward positions. He is very slender at 6-foot-9 and 185 pounds, but he projects as an effective defender against wings, even if he can’t quite corral bigger forwards.
Williams will presumably compete with fellow newcomer Matisse Thybulle, Jake LaRavia and possibly Adou Thiero and even Dalton Knecht for minutes at the 3 spot once training camp opens up in several weeks.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Ziaire Williams is excited to reunite with Bronny James on Lakers
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire | USA TODAY Network
