NY Knicks Draft: A scout and non-believer talk Ziaire Williams

NY Knicks: Discussing Ziaire Williams with a scout

• Disclaimer: I was a full-fledged non-believer, but then I read up on what he went through this season, and now I’m just…unsure. What would we have seen (or seen more of) from Ziaire this year had he not faced so much personal difficulty?

SZ: To be honest, I think we would have seen a lot of the same – flashes of strengths and weaknesses with competent play in between. Ziaire’s issues were largely tied to lack of strength and flexibility. More games and more continuity probably don’t solve that.

• So I’m going to make a comparison. I know their games are different – it’s easy to see on film – but on behalf of the most scarred Knicks’ fans among us, I have to ask: Why is Ziaire NOT Kevin Knox 2.0? After all, Knox was a similarly young, long wing with significant upside and equally big question marks once upon a time. What will set Ziaire apart and give him a better chance for success in New York?

SZ: I empathize with you Knicks fans, but if Ziaire misses, it’ll be for different reasons. From what I remember of Knox, the lack of burst and potentially troubling shot profile (majority of jumpers) are not dissimilar to Ziaire, but I believe Ziaire has much more playmaking chops and willingness to create for teammates. 

This relative selflessness also carries over to defense. I remember being very underwhelmed by Knox’s defensive awareness and activity seeing him at NBA Summer League several years ago, and he hasn’t done much to dispel that notion. Conversely, Ziaire generally competes and stays engaged on that end.

• What, if anything, worries you about Ziaire as a prospect?

SZ: The lack of rim frequency. 16.0% of his half-court attempts came at the rim, a number that is highly concerning for how low it is. Ziaire’s stiff movement skills make it tough, so it’s difficult to just blame college spacing since almost every prospect operates in a somewhat restrictive context compared to the NBA. Relying solely on a jumper is possible with Ziaire’s high release point, but there’s not many who do it efficiently in the League. Khris Middleton comes to mind, but no others.

• Barring a blockbuster, it looks as though Julius Randle and RJ Barrett are two cornerstone pieces for the Knicks moving forward. With the offense running through them, the team’s in dire need of players who can also thrive without the ball. Do you see Ziaire as someone who can do this? Are you concerned about his low 3P% and his even worse numbers catching & shooting, or are these simply an aberration during a tough year?

SZ: I see no reason why Ziaire can’t cash in on catch-n-shoot opportunities, and he should also capitalize on one-dribble side-step 3s or making the next pass when defenders run him off the line. The percentages do make me a little nervous. At some point, players have to start hitting. Still, Ziaire is probably more than several years away from ‘skill prime’, and at his size, the shot aesthetics are just too appealing. (It’s also possible I’m just falling in love with how pretty the shot looks when it goes in.)

Quick Hitters:

What do you see his role being offensively?

Probably more off-ball, especially early in his career, but I’d like to see Ziaire get on-ball reps to work with because I like the way he sees passing opportunities. The execution is not always there, but the vision appears to be.

If he reaches his full potential, he’ll be __________.

Hmm… There’s not any player comp that jumps out to me. Gun to my head, I would have to say some conglomeration of Khris Middleton, Brandon Ingram, and Mikal Bridges? Not a super helpful picture, and I might just have some recency bias after watching two of those players in the Finals…Ziaire has similarities here and there with each of those players but definitely no clean comparison in my eyes.

His best outcome, in my opinion, is a lethal PnR shooter. I believe he has a chance to shoot very well from distance and make defenses pay big time for going under or for not being right in his bubble immediately on switches. The next domino would be two defenders committing to him, and Ziaire has the height and ability to simply hit the short-roll, gifting his team a 4-on-3. That’s my vision for the high-end outcome of Ziaire.

If he settles into his floor, he’ll be __________.

A streaky spot-up shooter and a decent connecting play-maker. If Ziaire is unable to fill out his body well enough, on-ball creation will be tough for him. Smaller defenders could probably get in his grill and effectively disrupt him and inhibit much of his on-ball self-creation.