The NBA Draft will take place in 4 days and the Charlotte Hornets just worked out my favorite prospect.
Stanford’s Ziaire Williams made a stop in Charlotte for a session with the Hornets, who will pick at 11 on Thursday night.
He’s been a mystery of a prospect for most. He spent just one season at Stanford, if you can even call it that.
He only played in 20 games because of 2 deaths in the family that caused him to miss time during the season. Not only was he absent almost a month in the middle of the year, but he also missed the Pac-12 Tournament.
On top of that, Stanford was as affected as any basketball program during the pandemic. Santa Clara county, where Stanford is located, implemented Covid-19 guidelines that included quarantining for 14 days after traveling more than 150 miles. Because that would take too much time away, after already enduring limited opportunities before the season, Stanford worked out an agreement with UNC-Chapel Hill to play on the other side of the country after having played in the Maui Invitational hosted in Asheville.
His stats won’t do my argument to select him any justice. They’re bad. He shot just 37% from the field and 29% beyond the arc. He averaged just under 11 points per game to go along with 4 rebounds and 2 assists per contest.
But is 20 games enough to base an NBA projection? On top of everything he had to endure?
He’s the highest rated prospect to commit to Stanford in more than a decade after declaring as a 5-star.
And if you watch him play last season, you can see the savvy pick and roll game. He’s the most valuable archetype player in the league as a wing who stands almost 6’10” in shoes who can create for himself and others. He’s a smart and willing defender to go along with his fluid movement.
Plus he has a high ceiling. You could go for the comfortable pick at 11 who’s floor you feel safer selecting, but is a safe floor going to propel this team forward? Is it going to make LaMelo happy as he realizes his power in choosing where he wants to play? Or is the player with star potential going achieve that?
I’ll take the latter. I’ll take my chances with Ziaire Williams.
