LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers’ current win streak hit two games following their 138-117 thrashing of the Miami Heat on Monday, and the team welcomed the return of forward Ziaire Williams. The six-year veteran had been sidelined for three games due to a foot injury, but he was cleared to go, picking up right where he left off prior to sitting out.
Although Ziaire Williams had been in the starting lineup to begin the season, he came off the Lakers’ bench in the win against the Heat, contributing nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from the 3-point line. Williams has been one of the team’s most dependable 3&D players, along with Matisse Thybulle, and for him, the uptick in his shooting efficiency is due to the players he’s playing alongside.
“They’re easy looks, way easier than they’ve been in the past. Like I said, they’re sending two to Luka [Doncic], two to AR [Austin Reaves] every time,” Williams said during his postgame press conference after the win against the Heat. “It’s just swing, swing, one more and I get to set my feet, get to square up the ball. I put a lot of work this summer. [I’m] trusting my work, confident in my shot, my shot feels great. I put the reps in, so I just got to trust it.”
Through five games this season, Williams is shooting career-highs across the board. He’s up to 55.9 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from the 3-point line. His previous career-bests in shooting efficiency was 45 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from 3-point range. He’s right at his career averages in shot attempts as well with 6.8 overall field goal attempts and 4.2 3-point attempts.
And he’s averaging a career-high in points with 10.8. Prior to his return from injury, his points per game average was 11.3. Williams’ production is key to the Lakers’ success, especially when it comes to playing off Doncic. Teams have begun to trap and blitz Doncic, and the Lakers haven’t done so well in responding to that type of defense in the early-goings of the season.
But against the Heat, the team did a much better job at reacting and adjusting to the defense. While it’s still a work in progress, Williams believes the team has the right mentality and personnel to continue countering what opposing teams through at them defensively.
“[It’s] a lot of good reps of practicing. They send two on the ball, there’s always going to be a 4-on-3 advantage on the back side. It’s just about countering on those advantages, looking opposite for corner threes, finishing at the rim,” Williams said. “The short roll is so important with those blitzes cause it opens up the floor for all of us. And that’s the beauty of our team. You can put different guys at different spots and everyone is able to make plays. …
“All our guys are just dynamic and versatile and everyone just wants to make the right play. No one wants to only shoot. There’s no egos and that’s the fun part about it. We all want to see each other succeed and we have that mindset that good things are gonna happen.”
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