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NEW YORK -- Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams came to the Nets this season looking to make the most of his opportunity with a new team and a new role. Williams went from being one of the guys that the Memphis Grizzlies were building around to a role player for a Brooklyn team looking for players to step up. Williams believes the trade worked out for him.
"Absolutely, no doubt about it. It was definitely a positive step and it was a step that I was nervous to take, I was scared to take," Williams said during his exit interview on Monday. Williams, the 10th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, came to Brooklyn in July of 2024 from the Grizzlies along with a 2030 second-round pick in a trade that looked like Memphis was moving on from a player with the potential to be more than what he was.
"I remember the day like it was yesterday: it was my first day on my Tahiti trip in the summer and I got that Woj bomb," Williams continued. "It was a trip, man. It was a turning point in my life, for sure. I'm just happy I'm here and I'm happy I was able just to re-identify myself. Knowing the things that I'm good at and being able to focus on those things and not be so worried about just whatever and focus on so many different things."
Williams, 23, had the best season of his career to date as he took advantage of the opportunity he was afforded by head coach Jordi Fernandez and the Nets' coaching staff. Williams averaged 10.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 41.2% from the field and 34.1% from three-point land while playing the most games that he has played in a season along with the most minutes per game in a campaign since entering the league.
Williams' role on the team was to guard the opposing team's best perimeter player while being counted on to be a threat from the three-point line and he fulfilled both of those roles better than anyone could have expected. Not only did Williams achieve a career-high in three-point percentage on a career-high 4.8 attempts per game, but he also notched the best steals per game figure and blocks per game (0.4) mark of his career.
While part of the reason for Williams' career-best season could be attributed to his playing as much as he did for the Nets, he should also be commended for improving the way that he did under the circumstances. Williams deserves credit for his ability to thrive while heading into an uncertain offseason, but he took the time to give the credit to someone that helped him get better along the way.
"Jordi made it so easy for me. Really just play my butt off and just shoot the ball, it was as simple as that," Williams explained. "I think the simplicity of what he wanted out of me is what allowed me to grow and play free and just be myself. I haven't felt this way in awhile. Hopefully, I get to come back and we get better and I get better, team gets better and make it to the playoffs and keep slowly making progress from there."
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets' Ziaire Williams believes trade from Grizzlies was positive move
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