2021 NBA Mock Draft — 24. Ziaire Williams, Detroit Pistons
A rocky freshman season hurt Ziaire Williams’ draft stock, but he’s still worthy of a first-round selection, and presents Detroit with appealing upside this late in the draft. The Pistons are still early in the rebuilding process, and the most successful offenses have threats across the board. Williams’ flashes as a 6-foot-9 shot-maker are hard to ignore.
Williams is already a fluid ball-handler who has no trouble getting to his spots offensively. He needs work on the jumper — it’s a bit wonky out of the hand — but he has no shortage of touch. That, combined with his size and gifts for creating space, are reason for hope.
Also of note is Williams’ upside as a playmaker. At his size, Williams can easily peer over the top of defenses. If he can nail down the pull-up jumper, then all of a sudden Williams becomes a very difficult player to contain with the ball in hand. Add active defense and the tools to make a two-way impact, and Williams becomes a potential steal late in the first round.