2021 NBA Draft Mock 2.0: Houston Rockets trade up for Ziaire Williams
The Oklahoma City Thunder trade down with the Houston Rockets. It may seem a little crazy for the Thunder to keep accumulating picks, but this is Sam Presti we’re talking about.
Both of these teams are looking to rebuild and capitalize off of their surplus of draft picks. The Rockets already drafted Jalen Suggs with their first pick, and now they combine picks #22 and #23 to move up to #18.
They’re getting a player with one of the highest ceilings in the 2021 NBA draft in Ziaire Williams.
NBA Draft – Ziaire Williams NBA player comparisons:
- Brandon Ingram
- De’Andre Hunter – Could grow into that level of defender
- Jonathan Isaac
Ziaire Williams is 100% a “trade-up” player. He’s going to be a top-10 player on some draft boards. He was almost a unanimous top-10 player before the season started, and it’s easy to see why.
The 19-year-old Ziaire Williams stands 6’8 with a 6’11 wingspan and is one of the bounciest wing prospects in this NBA draft. An above-the-rim athlete whose athleticism is incredibly fluid – nice changing of speeds, high acceleration, and can leap into open space around the rim with ease.
Ziaire Williams isn’t just about his athleticism, he’s got a smoothness to his game. He has a nice handle and understanding of angles for his size.
He’s a terrific finesse finisher and shot creator, but he isn’t there yet as a contact finisher. Williams has the length, but he weighs just 185 lbs and tends to shy away from contact. That will be an adjustment at the next level.
The thing is, I think Williams’ “rawness” gets overblown sometimes. This isn’t a project player in the sense that he may need the G-league or is just a raw athlete who started playing basketball 2 years ago. Williams has some tools to make an immediate impact, he just has some other areas of his game, areas where he’s already flashed potential, where needs to improve to grow into a star player.
His jump shot has really nice potential. He may make some tweaks to the form, but for the most part, it’s fluid, and Williams shot just under 80% from the free throw line. There is absolutely potential for him to grow into a 3-level scorer.
The weight is obviously an issue on defense, but Williams already has nice technique in his defensive stance, as well as the length and lateral quickness to keep up with speedy NBA wings.
The Houston Rockets are looking for future core players. Drafting Jalen Suggs and Ziaire Williams is an amazing start.