The days of the Brooklyn Nets splashing on top-name free agents during the summer have temporarily slowed. The Nets appear to be in a full rebuild, so fans likely will not see a Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving-caliber player join the team anytime soon. However, the franchise remains strategic about offseason acquisitions that fit into its developing long-term plans. Former Memphis Grizzlies forward Ziaire Williams is one such player the Nets nabbed, and he is already showing promise.
Williams' tenure with the Grizzlies did not go as expected, given he was a former top-10 pick from the 2021 NBA Draft. The former Stanford Cardinal never averaged more than 10 points per game during his first three years in Memphis, and his best three-point shooting mark capped at 31.4 percent. Nevertheless, Williams has the opportunity to make a big improvement with the Nets and rebuild his value. He is wasting no time working on his game.
Nets' Ziaire Williams seen in gym with head coach Jordi Fernandez
On Friday, the Nets' social media team captured a photo of Williams shooting a basketball and another image of him sitting beside Jordi Fernandez at the HSS Training Center, as seen on X (formerly Twitter):
.@Ziaire in the lab pic.twitter.com/19ddR2JfkM
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) August 16, 2024
Williams appears to be taking concerns about his shooting seriously. During the 2023-24 season, Williams shot 30.7 percent on his deep-range shots and averaged 8.2 points per game. Through repetition and consistency, he can improve his accuracy and become a more reliable offensive weapon. Even more exciting, Williams' new head coach seems to be invested in his growth.
Jordi Fernandez has fully resumed his summer preparations with the Nets after an eventful stint with Team Canada in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Fernandez took the blame for Canada's underwhelming fifth-place finish after they were projected to win, emphasizing his need to "better help" his squad's offense. The former Sacramento Kings associate head coach looks to use the Olympic experience to help fuel his efforts with the Nets.
Fernandez has his hands full with multiple ongoing development projects like Williams, Keon Johnson, Noah Clowney, and Trendon Watford, to name a few. If he continues to walk alongside and invest time in his players, as he appeared to be with Williams, fans can be excited about the next step Brooklyn's core will take.