Grizzlies: 3 questions about 2021 first-round pick Ziaire Williams

Will Ziaire Williams start immediately for the Memphis Grizzlies?

This is the question everybody was waiting for, isn’t it? The Memphis Grizzlies didn’t take a player in the top ten of an NBA Draft just to sit him on the bench. The real question stands, however, in when he will earn the opportunity to start for this team.

Before drafting Williams, here’s what the starting lineup would almost definitely look like:

• Ja Morant
• Dillon Brooks
• Kyle Anderson
• Jaren Jackson Jr.
• Steven Adams

The issue, however, with this lineup stands in the fact that two of the five players listed are technically out of position. We saw Kyle Anderson play his best basketball at the power forward spot and Dillon Brooks has always been a natural small forward, struggling as a shooting guard.

It’s hard to see Memphis sticking with both of these guys slightly out of position for long. That said, I wouldn’t expect Williams to crack the starting lineup immediately. Rather, the Grizzlies will do what they do best — ease their new player into the lineup.

As a strong perimeter defender and capable scorer, the rookie guard’s presence will be needed when the team gets into the thick of the season. Expect him to start by the end of his rookie season, just not early on.