Ziaire Williams Shines Despite Nets' Loss to Celtics

Williams nearly hit his career-high in points.

Nov 13, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams (1) shoots the ball against the Boston Celtics during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

For the second time this season, last night the Brooklyn Nets lost to the Boston Celtics 139-114. In an offensive outpouring from both sides, the Celtics simply had more firepower with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, while the Nets were without Dorian Finney-Smith, Ben Simmons, and Bojan Bogdanovic.

Brooklyn wasn't expected to win against the defending champions, but a positive to note despite the 25-point blowout was the performance of Ziaire Williams. Williams got his first start of the season last night and took full advantage. The 23-year-old put up 23 points, six rebounds, a block, and a steal in 26 minutes.

The former Memphis Grizzly got hot in the first quarter, putting up 11 points. He didn't necessarily cool off but didn't shoot as much following the hot start. He went 8-for-14 from the field and shot 2-of-5 from three.

Williams taking advantage of this opportunity is a great sign for the Nets. It shows that this team has more depth than they thought, with a rotation that can go as deep as 10 players.

Williams' performance also speaks to head coach Jordi Fernandez. Fernandez has brought out the absolute best in everyone in Brooklyn, and Williams gets added to the list after last night. We've already seen an increase in production and efficiency from Ben Simmons, Dennis Schroder, Cameron Johnson, and even the team's star, Cam Thomas.

Williams is averaging 21.2 minutes per game this season, but we could see that go up as the Nets progress. Simmons and Finney-Smith are day-to-day as of right now, so it's unclear whether or not Williams will get another start in Brooklyn's NBA Cup matchup on Friday against the New York Knicks.

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