Memphis Grizzlies: Who will fill void left by De’Anthony Melton in 2022-23?

Second Year Ziaire

Desmond Bane’s breakout second season has probably created some unfair expectations for Ziaire Williams in his second season as a pro. It is not often that a sophomore increases his scoring average by nine points a game while staying incredibly efficient from the field and from three. With De’Anthony Melton’s departure, however, there is a real chance for Williams to have the opportunity to make an impactful leap in every facet of his game.

At 20 years of age in his rookie season, Ziaire was not asked to do much offensively besides run the floor hard, catch lobs, and knock down threes when open. Throughout his first 21 games in the league, Williams struggled hitting shots from deep, averaging 3.6 3PT FG attempts per night, while hitting just 24.6 percent of them.

He sprained his ankle in a game against the Heat in early December, causing him to miss almost a month of basketball. He came back appearing to have a little bit more confidence in his shooting abilities, but still only shot 31.3% on 4.0 attempts in his 21 appearances prior to the All-Star break. It was after the break in which Williams really started to find more success from beyond the arc, as he shot 36.2 percent on 4.3 attempts in the final 21 games of the season. This steady increase in production shooting the ball in his first year is extremely promising.

The potential for improvements next season doesn’t stop at shooting threes, either. Coming out of Stanford, Ziaire Williams was known as a guy that had the potential to create his shot on the ball, especially at the midrange level. He showed small signs of it this past season but really got a chance to show it off in summer league.

He was asked to be the ball handler in the offense for the majority of the time that he was on the court, similar to what Desmond Bane did last year, and seemed more and more comfortable doing so as each game passed. Not only did he show that his shot creation bag had grown, but he also made some remarkable passes with the ball in his hands.

Being as athletic as Williams is, while standing 6’9,” also allows him to potentially become an intriguing wing defender that can guard multiple positions. There were even times in the second round of the playoffs against the Warriors where he was tasked with guarding Stephen Curry, and honestly, he held his own.

The departure of De’Anthony Melton will allow Ziaire to play more of the sixth man role for the Grizzlies when the team gets fully healthy. The likelihood of increased three-point numbers mixed with the potential jump in shot creation and defensive abilities makes Ziaire Williams a prime candidate to step up and fill the void.