The Philadelphia 76ers have gone after big names this offseason and continue to do so. However, that does not mean that the front office no longer needs to lock in on the lesser-known players in the open market. Depth is still something that needs to be addressed for this team, which makes the Los Angeles Lakers signing Ziaire Williams look like a missed opportunity for Philly.
Lakers just picked up a nice young forward in Ziaire Williams
As first broken by ESPN's Shams Charania, the Lakers have signed forward Ziaire Williams to a one-year, $3 million deal. The 24-year-old, who was drafted with the 10th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, now arrives to a Los Angeles team that has gone through a major facelift this summer. Given the terms of his contract and his age, that stands as a great steal for the Lakers brass.
Williams feels like someone whose game is built for the 76ers. Nick Nurse wants the team to play faster next season, and Williams was one of the very few young, long, and athletic forwards still available for plucking in the open market. Instead, he now goes to a Lakers squad littered with skilled but unathletic players, arming them with a springy option to shore up their forward rotation.
The 76ers should have taken a flier on new Lakers forward Ziaire Williams
Williams has yet to live up to the billing of a top-ten draft pick as the Grizzlies, the team that originally drafted him, eventually gave up on their project piece. Be that as it may, the Stanford product still has an intriguing mix of ranginess and bounce that gives him a good enough floor and ceiling on both ends, making him a solid bench piece as a backup forward.
Last season, Williams averaged 10.2 points per game for the Nets in just under 23 minutes per outing. While he shot just 42.5 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from 3-point range, he showcased his ability to get out in the open court and take advantage of opportunities despite Brooklyn's dearth of steady playmaking.
He might not be a standout defender or a great 3-point shooter percentage-wise, but he has all the tools to keep improving on that end. The 76ers should have definitely taken a flier on him, especially since there are some shades of Kelly Oubre Jr. in his game, at least from a positional and stylistic vantage point, that the team will now sorely miss given the veteran's departure in free agency.
While this is not necessarily something the 76ers should regret, as there are still bigger fish out there, Ziaire Williams would have been another savvy signing for the front office. Instead, the Lakers will get to enjoy such a promising project piece.
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