Ziaire Williams - NBA Draft Room

NBA DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT

POSITION: SF	FROM: Stanford	HT: 6-9 3/4	WT: 188
BORN: 9/12/01	YEAR: Fr.	WING: 6-10 1/4	REACH: 8-10 1/2

Draft Notes

It’s not every year that a 5 star one and done potential first round pick comes out of Stanford but here we are. Zaire is a high level wing with intriguing upside but a lot of work to do developing his game.

Ziaire is a big wing who is making big strides in his game. He’s got all the tools to develop into a high level NBA player including good size for position, excellent length and fluid athleticism.

He measured an impressive 6-9 3/4 in shoes at the combine, which confirms the recent rumors that he’s still growing. This added height on the surface gives him more upside potential but there could be some negatives that come with it. This past year at Stanford Ziaire looked a bit less coordinated than he did the previous year at Sierra Canyon.

He’s quick to get above the rim, making it look easy and he flies up and down the court. He’s got big upside and a lot of versatility as a defender thanks to his long arms, agility and good instincts.

He’s not a polished offensive prospect but he’s showing a lot of good signs. His ball handling is solid for a player his size and he’s able to create space with the dribble and get his shot. He can shoot it moving to the left or right and has a nice compact and smooth jumper. He gets decent elevation on his jumper and has a pretty release.

He showed flashes of shooting ability during his freshman season but hit only 29% from 3. He projects as a more than capable 3pt shooter at the next level but obviously still has work to do.

Ziaire is a high energy defender who is a nightmare on the full court press and very disruptive in the passing lanes. His length and great anticipation on defense leads to lots of deflections.

He lacks strength at this point and doesn’t finish at the rim very well. He’s athletic but doesn’t have blow by speed and does most of his half court scoring from mid range and out. It will be interesting to see if he gains better coordination and agility as he grows into his frame.

It should be noted that Stanford didn’t have any home-court games this past season because of Covid and so Zaire had to deal with living out of a hotel and being on the road most of the season, which might have kept him from getting into a good rhythm. There’s reason to believe he’s a better shooter, scorer and overall player than what we saw this year.