Ziaire Williams improved 3-point shooting giving Nets good return on investment
SAN ANTONIO — It was Ziaire Williams’ janky jumper that got him salary-dumped by Memphis.But now it’s his improved 3-point stroke that is earning him crunch-time minutes with the Nets.A below league-average shooter for his entire career, Williams comes into Sunday’s game here against the Spurs hitting 54.5 percent percent from behind the arc after going 6-of-9 from deep in Friday’s home-opening loss to the Cavaliers.
That’s in the top 10 among players averaging 5.5 attempts, per Basketball Reference.And it’s a far cry from where he started as a shooter.“Yeah, for sure.I mean, I worked my butt off every day this summer,” Williams, 24, said of his offseason improvement.
“You know, thousands and thousands of shots, three times a day, all different footworks.“There’s not any shot that I shoot in the game that I haven’t worked on.And I’m a true believer in that.
The amount of work you put in always comes back and I try to trust God and trust my work.And I’m glad I made some shots [Friday].”Williams was acquired by the Nets in a salary dump, a former lottery pick and solid defender whose lack of a jumper eventually prompted the Grizzlies to move on.The Nets were reshaping their roster in the aftermath of dealing Mikal Bridges to the Knicks.
Overshadowed by the five first-round picks the Nets got from their rival was Mamadi Diakite on an expiring partial guaranteed deal.The Nets flipped him to Memphis for a 2030 Dallas second-round pick and Williams.The fact that Williams’ 34.1 percent from deep last season was a career high should underscore just how far he had to come.
But his defense, energy and youth prompted the rebuilding Nets to hand him a two-year, $12.5 million contract this past offseason, the second season a team option.Through preseason and two games, they appear to be getting a return on their (modest) investment.Williams had 25 points off the bench Friday against the Cavaliers, his second-highest scoring game while tyin...