The Brooklyn Nets' second home matchup of the 2024-25 season against the Denver Nuggets was a classic. Brooklyn competed hard the entire game and even took a noticeable lead, but in the end, three-time MVP Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets to a 144-139 victory. Several Nets stood out. Yet, Ziaire Williams continued his early growth in the borough with his performance in a key area.
Williams ended Tuesday night's game with 18 points, four assists, three rebounds, and one block in 22 minutes of action. Furthermore, he shot a blazing 80 percent (4-for-5) on his three-pointers. Williams' deep-range success is music to Brooklyn's ears.
The former 2021 first-round pick struggled from deep during his three seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies. He shot 31.4 percent during his rookie year before holding a career-low 25.4 mark in 2022-23. He ended the 2023-24 season with 30.7 percent accuracy.
One of the ways Williams was tasked with rebuilding his value with the Nets was by developing greater efficiency from beyond the arc. Through his first four games in Brooklyn, he is answering that call with confidence, shooting an impressive 66.7 percent on 12 attempts.
There is little limit to what Ziaire Williams can do. Buckets in Brooklyn's preseason overreactions to Williams might not have been overreactions after all. If Williams continues his focus and production, he could become one of the Nets' most valuable pieces.
What Nets learned from Nuggets loss
Brooklyn's loss worsened their record to 1-3 on the season; however, the defeat was not a total failure. The Nets played hard, which is all Jordi Fernandez can ask for. The team is also beginning to understand who some of its biggest contributors are on both sides of the ball.
Dennis Schroder rode the momentum of his 29-point performance against the Milwaukee Bucks with another standout offensive showing. The veteran guard totaled a team-high 28 points along with 14 assists on a 45.5 percent (5-for-11) three-point shooting clip.
Cam Thomas also continued his offensive consistency with 26 points and made all nine of his free throw attempts. However, he shot a lowly 1-for-8 on his three-pointers and went 8-for-22 from the field.
On the defensive side, Nic Claxton continued to wreak havoc. He came off the bench again amid his ramp-up from preseason hamstring tightness but led Brooklyn with three blocked shots. Claxton will be even more of a force once he gets back to full playing time.
The Nets do not have much time to rest, as they will play a back-to-back against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.