Robert Horry didn’t waste time zeroing in on the part of Ziaire Williams’ game that jumped off the screen in the Los Angeles Lakers’ preseason loss to the Denver Nuggets: the defense, the effort, and the shot.
Williams gave the Lakers a sharp 14 points in just 11 minutes, and he did it cleanly from deep, hitting both of his three-point attempts. He has been one of the more encouraging pieces of the Lakers’ preseason work so far, and there’s already a case building for him to be in the starting conversation when the regular season opens.
On Spectrum’s postgame show, Horry pointed to the way Williams impacts a game even when the ball isn’t in his hands. “He might become Mr.
Intangible for JJ [Redick] because he picks up the guys full court. We didn’t really talk about that.
He kind of turned [Jamal] Murray. Murray got off the ball, which is key for them, and then he’s able to knock down threes at a really good clip.
“I knew he was an athletic guy from High School. I knew he’s an athletic guy from going up in Brooklyn, but I didn’t know his three-point game was as efficient as it is.
“If he can knock down those threes on a consistent basis, and he can play good defense, he’s gonna cause a lot of havoc for this team.
“And when you cause havoc, that’s so good, especially on the offensive end for another team because they can’t get their plays, they can’t run that rhythm, and so he’s a rhythm stopper.”
That kind of profile is starting to stand out in a Lakers offseason that has been anything but quiet. General Manager Rob Pelinka worked through a long list of roster moves, and one of the biggest was a trade for Walker Kessler, with LeBron James among the players who moved on.
Williams has already spoken this week about how excited he is to play next to Kessler, and he explained that the center’s presence makes his own role easier. There was a glimpse of that in the Nuggets game, where the fit looked more functional than flashy, but still promising.
The Lakers still don’t look like a finished product. They’re not rolling like a polished machine yet.
But there are real signs of life in the roster, and Williams wasn’t the only one who flashed against Denver. Sandro Mamukelashvili also stood out, and Austin Reaves had positive things to say about him after the game.
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Nuggets Bench Suddenly Has A Real Opening For One Young Player
The Nuggets came out of the preseason with a sudden change to their second unit, and it opens the door for a young wing to carve out a real opportunity. Julian Strawther had been positioned as part of Denvers bench mix, giving the team another option on the perimeter, but his status now shifts the conversation toward who can absorb those minutes and keep the rotation stable while the rest of the roster settles in.
Denver has a few possibilities to sort through, including Alpha Diallo, Cam Whitmore and Bryce Hopkins, each offering a different kind of fit depending on what the Nuggets want from the spot. For a team that has long valued reliable depth behind its core, the next few weeks should tell a lot about which player can do enough to make the absence feel manageable, and which one might start turning a temporary opening into something more permanent. [Read more 🡒]
Jokics Shot Is Giving The Nuggets A Different Look On Offense
Nikola Jokics jumper has looked like one of the quiet but important developments of the Nuggets preseason, and it showed up again against the Lakers when he knocked down shots from deep and kept the floor stretched in a way Denver can use. The broader point matters as much as the makes themselves: when Jokic is comfortable stepping out, defenses have a harder time crowding the lane, and the Nuggets offense gets a different shape.
That kind of spacing is especially valuable after the way his three-point rhythm dipped late last season and into the playoffs, when a wrist issue had been in the mix. Denver does not need Jokic to become a volume shooter from outside, but even a modest bump in confidence can change how opponents guard pick-and-rolls, post touches and cutters around him. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Johnson Put Nuggets Fans In A Tough Spot Against The Lakers
The Nuggets preseason finale against the Lakers had a little more edge than anyone probably expected, and Cam Johnson was right in the middle of it. Denver was already getting useful minutes from the usual headliners, with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray doing their part, when Johnsons night took an abrupt turn after a hard play against Austin Reaves.
Johnson had given Denver a scoring boost before the incident, but the game shifted quickly once the officials took a closer look and sent him out. The Nuggets still finished the preseason at 3-2 after beating Los Angeles, while Reaves led the Lakers in scoring, leaving Denver with the win and one lingering talking point as the regular season approaches. [Read more 🡒]