The Memphis Grizzlies shocked their entire fanbase when they made the bold decision of drafting Ziaire Williams, a 6-8 wing out of Stanford. Memphis was expecting a pick like Moses Moody or James Bouknight, but as has happened in the past couple of drafts, confusion swept over Memphis.
At the forefront of everybody’s mind, there are a few questions at hand. Today, I’m going to try and answer the most obvious ones, starting with an easy question.
Did the Memphis Grizzlies reach when they selected Ziaire Williams with the 17th-overall pick?
The short answer here is no. While it may seem easy to declare this a reach, there is a lot going on behind the scenes that Grizzlies fans don’t see.
For starters, Josh Giddey, a potential Grizzlies draft pick, was taken far earlier than anybody expected to the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 6. This didn’t just impact Memphis, it likely had a ripple effect through every wing prospect in the draft. This would have sent every other wing up in the draft.
Memphis, on the other hand, would not have traded up if Williams would have been available at No. 17. Franchises know, or at least have a strong idea, of what is going to happen on draft day. The Grizzlies wanted Ziaire Williams and the only way to get him was to move up to the 10th-overall pick.
They would not have moved up in the draft if they weren’t sure that he was going to be selected before their initial pick. If anything, Grizz fans should feel confident that their upper management picked a guy with such confidence.
Will the Memphis Grizzlies have a problem with Ziaire Williams’ sub-30% deep-range shooting?
One of the areas of emphasis this offseason for Memphis was its deep-range shooting. Last year, the Grizzlies weren’t the worst 3-point shooting team in the league, but they were subpar. It was an easy number to point to that needs to improve.
On the surface, this selection does absolutely nothing to help that issue.
Thankfully, not everything is that simple. Ziaire Williams is one of those players who has a smooth shot but never got into a groove from deep during his time in college. He’s a capable shooter, even if his 29.1% 3-point shooting might lead you to believe otherwise.
Don’t expect his percentage to hover around the 30-mark for long in the NBA. In high school, he was a knock-down shooter on a relatively big stage. Even after a down year, the Grizzlies must have some faith that he’ll bounce back.
That said, it may take him a while to settle in, as it did in college.
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.