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LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 27: Ziaire Williams #1 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 27, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images The Nets “rested” Ziaire Williams vs the Sacramento Kings Sunday. It was well-deserved after what has become a breakout month of March in which he’s put up the kind of numbers the Grizzlies hoped for when they took him with the 10th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and when the Nets traded for him in weeks after their reset back in July 2024.
So far, with Tuesday’s game vs. the Hornets left in the month, Williams is averaging 13.5 points on 51/49/86 shooting splits and playing solid defense — 2.0 steals per game — in 13 games. In his last five, his numbers have gotten even better. He’s averaging 17.2 points and 2.8 steals on 53/50/82/82 shooting splits. And as Brian Lewis notes Monday, his lack of playing time vs. Sacramento is just an extension of how’s been used the last 10 games he’s been available. Williams hadn’t played in any of the prior five fourth quarters and just one of the last 10.
He seems to have finally gotten beyond his reputation for inconsistency which has plagued him since his freshman year at Stanford.
“He’s taken advantage of all those opportunities. He’s embraced what we’re doing and the process, which is the best thing. He understands. He’s about the right things,” Nets coach Jordi Fernández said. “I’m happy with him, and I’ve seen what I had to see. I also need him to go through this [remaining] stretch of eight games.
“So, he’s embraced every situation. I’m very happy with what I’ve seen from him, and then we’ll make decisions when we have to. Obviously, it’s very collaborative around here. I’m not the one making decisions on the roster, but I’m always asked, and right now, we’re in a good place. The process is the best thing; it’s just going through it.”
Making the situation better for the Nets is his contract situation. Brooklyn signed him to a two-year, $12.5 million deal last summer with the second year a team option at $6.3 million, a bargain by NBA standards. And he doesn’t turn 25 till September. It should also be noted that the Nets acquisition of Williams was yet another benefit of Mikal Bridges trade. Two weeks after the Nets acquired Mamadi Diakite as an add-on in that deal, they dealt him to Memphis for Williams and a 2030 second round pick of the Mavericks.
Lewis points out that Williams rising efficiency is a result of how he’s been playing the game under Fernandez.
[His] offense has been more efficient — a career-high .588 true shooting — by taking higher-value 3s. He’s kept his dribbles to a minimum, succeeding as a cutter and off catch-and-shoot looks.
Similarly, on defense, there’s been a change, Lewis writes.
He’s always been known as a defender but is playing less stretch four and more small forward and even shooting guard. Williams disrupts passing lanes and entered Sunday eighth in the NBA in steals both per 36 minutes and per 100 possessions.
“The way he shines is when he’s very aggressive defensively, then he keeps it simple offensively and [takes] that to a higher level,” Fernández said. “Even the other day, I know I’m running more plays for him but that doesn’t mean he’s dribbling 15 times and just playing iso. I’m just running a second-side plays for him.
“He’s quick, he’s simple, he plays pick-and-roll, and he either makes a play to score or to kick the ball. So putting the ball in his hands, it’s good. I haven’t done it as much, but I still want to see him being decisive, shooting catch-and-shoot 3s, getting to the rim. But then his superpower of what he did against the Lakers — guard the best player on the court, be disruptive, get deflections, all of those things that gave the team energy. And that’s when ‘Z’ is at his best.”
Williams, who grew up in Pleasanton, California, just outside L.A., likes Brooklyn and what he sees in the future.
“We have something very special brewing here in Brooklyn. A year or two from now we’ll be in the mix for the playoffs and winning a lot more games,” he told our Jordan Greene last week when asked about the Nets situation. “I’m trusting the front office and our GM Sean Marks. Shoutout to Joe Tsai as well for believing in me and trusting in me as well. We have a bright future ahead.
“If I can end my career here, I would be more than happy and grateful,” Williams added.
- Ziaire Williams making strong case to be part of Nets’ rebuild – Brian Lewis – New York Post
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