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Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly.

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Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly. 

Post#1 » by E S V L » Fri Jul 30, 2021 2:40 am

I was shocked, but once I’ve recovered, I see what our FO sees in this kid. He has literally no weak spots. He is just ... raw. Let’s grow and develop this kid together. Let’s start with our warm welcome.
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Re: Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly. 

Post#2 » by VCfor3 » Fri Jul 30, 2021 2:47 am

E S V L wrote:I was shocked, but once I’ve recovered, I see what our FO sees in this kid. He has literally no weak spots. He is just ... raw. Let’s grow and develop this kid together. Let’s start with our warm welcome.

Time to watch a ton of highlights *from high school
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Re: Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly. 

Post#3 » by E S V L » Fri Jul 30, 2021 2:55 am

VCfor3 wrote:
E S V L wrote:I was shocked, but once I’ve recovered, I see what our FO sees in this kid. He has literally no weak spots. He is just ... raw. Let’s grow and develop this kid together. Let’s start with our warm welcome.

Time to watch a ton of highlights *from high school


Already there
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Re: Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly. 

Post#4 » by Whole Truth » Fri Jul 30, 2021 11:17 am

I'm all for an upside pick, Memphis has generally played it safe with their advanced picks.. Williams potential comp for me could be Durant lite. As a Raptor fan I came here because of Jonas but can't be mad, Memphis drafted size, defense & potential for that SF spot in deciding to sink or swim with 3J at the 5.

In taking on additional salary, they secured their choice, got some added pick leverage & insurance for the upcoming 22 season, if everything flops, 3J potentially not being able to stay healthy among other factors etc...

As said, I'm a Raptors fan that came here because of Jonas & with him being traded out, so am I. It was fun Vic, ESVL, others..

Welcome Williams, goodbye Memphis, good luck.
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Re: Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly. 

Post#5 » by jefe » Fri Jul 30, 2021 11:48 am

I got no criticism for Zaire, but I am a bit disappointed that the front office made the trade to move up to 10 to get him. By most accounts, he would have been available at 17 given recent mocks had him dropping into the early 20s.
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Re: Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly. 

Post#6 » by E S V L » Fri Jul 30, 2021 2:54 pm

Whole Truth wrote:I'm all for an upside pick, Memphis has generally played it safe with their advanced picks.. Williams potential comp for me could be Durant lite. As a Raptor fan I came here because of Jonas but can't be mad, Memphis drafted size, defense & potential for that SF spot in deciding to sink or swim with 3J at the 5.

In taking on additional salary, they secured their choice, got some added pick leverage & insurance for the upcoming 22 season, if everything flops, 3J potentially not being able to stay healthy among other factors etc...

As said, I'm a Raptors fan that came here because of Jonas & with him being traded out, so am I. It was fun Vic, ESVL, others..

Welcome Williams, goodbye Memphis, good luck.


Good luck man. It was a real, true pleasure. Don’t be a stranger. Unlike JV, you will be missed here.
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Re: Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly. 

Post#7 » by E S V L » Fri Jul 30, 2021 2:58 pm

jefe wrote:I got no criticism for Zaire, but I am a bit disappointed that the front office made the trade to move up to 10 to get him. By most accounts, he would have been available at 17 given recent mocks had him dropping into the early 20s.


FO said he wouldn’t fall to #17.

It’s time to focus on his development. He certainly looks like a good character, open, nice kid with almost an unlimited potential.
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Re: Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly. 

Post#8 » by jman3134 » Fri Jul 30, 2021 4:19 pm

Whole Truth wrote:I'm all for an upside pick, Memphis has generally played it safe with their advanced picks.. Williams potential comp for me could be Durant lite. As a Raptor fan I came here because of Jonas but can't be mad, Memphis drafted size, defense & potential for that SF spot in deciding to sink or swim with 3J at the 5.

In taking on additional salary, they secured their choice, got some added pick leverage & insurance for the upcoming 22 season, if everything flops, 3J potentially not being able to stay healthy among other factors etc...

As said, I'm a Raptors fan that came here because of Jonas & with him being traded out, so am I. It was fun Vic, ESVL, others..

Welcome Williams, goodbye Memphis, good luck.


Not too late to switch fanhoods.....please. This would be a worse loss than Jonas.
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Re: Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly. 

Post#9 » by jefe » Sat Jul 31, 2021 2:11 pm

E S V L wrote:
jefe wrote:I got no criticism for Zaire, but I am a bit disappointed that the front office made the trade to move up to 10 to get him. By most accounts, he would have been available at 17 given recent mocks had him dropping into the early 20s.


FO said he wouldn’t fall to #17.

It’s time to focus on his development. He certainly looks like a good character, open, nice kid with almost an unlimited potential.

Well, of course they did, you don't honestly think they would say otherwise do you?
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Re: Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly. 

Post#10 » by VCfor3 » Sat Jul 31, 2021 5:02 pm

jefe wrote:
E S V L wrote:
jefe wrote:I got no criticism for Zaire, but I am a bit disappointed that the front office made the trade to move up to 10 to get him. By most accounts, he would have been available at 17 given recent mocks had him dropping into the early 20s.


FO said he wouldn’t fall to #17.

It’s time to focus on his development. He certainly looks like a good character, open, nice kid with almost an unlimited potential.

Well, of course they did, you don't honestly think they would say otherwise do you?

I actually think he would have been gone by 17 given how the draft went. Mocks were clearly wrong. That said, we could have probably traded back a spot or two and still gotten him. Could have maybe gotten those 2nds back we used to move up for Santi.

The FO did what we wanted. They just did it in a way most fans disliked ha. Ziaire could be a KD lite/MPJ with better defense. He'd be the big wing who can score and create that we have been looking for if he pans out. He just also has a really low floor. Like Kevin Knox floor. Santi is someone who could also potentially fit that role though I suspect his defense will always be fairly suspect. Maybe more of an Ingram lite for him. But his floor is out of the league in a couple years without ever earning meaningful minutes. He also has a very very long way to go to hit his ceiling. I personally would have gone with a different upside swing at 40/30 even if my player has a lower ceiling, but it isn't the biggest crime to take that swing since we have capable role players at every position right now.

All in all I think that the Front Office has earned enough credit to warrant a wait and see approach before worrying about our current draft picks. But like psman said, their leash just got a lot shorter. Unfortunately it'll be a few years before we can truly evaluate Ziaire since he is pretty raw.
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Re: Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly. 

Post#11 » by E S V L » Sat Jul 31, 2021 5:22 pm

jefe wrote:
E S V L wrote:
jefe wrote:I got no criticism for Zaire, but I am a bit disappointed that the front office made the trade to move up to 10 to get him. By most accounts, he would have been available at 17 given recent mocks had him dropping into the early 20s.


FO said he wouldn’t fall to #17.

It’s time to focus on his development. He certainly looks like a good character, open, nice kid with almost an unlimited potential.

Well, of course they did, you don't honestly think they would say otherwise do you?


They likely wouldn’t. But I can easily see why it would happen anyway. There were very few big elite SFs on the market, if any.
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Re: Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly. 

Post#12 » by SD2042 » Sat Aug 7, 2021 3:43 pm

Whole Truth wrote:I'm all for an upside pick, Memphis has generally played it safe with their advanced picks.. Williams potential comp for me could be Durant lite. As a Raptor fan I came here because of Jonas but can't be mad, Memphis drafted size, defense & potential for that SF spot in deciding to sink or swim with 3J at the 5.

In taking on additional salary, they secured their choice, got some added pick leverage & insurance for the upcoming 22 season, if everything flops, 3J potentially not being able to stay healthy among other factors etc...

As said, I'm a Raptors fan that came here because of Jonas & with him being traded out, so am I. It was fun Vic, ESVL, others..

Welcome Williams, goodbye Memphis, good luck.


Truth, don't be a stranger. You just like the others here are one of the good ones. The door is always open.

As the draft itself, this was a wild one to say the least. I didn't expect Ziare to be the player the Grizzlies would draft. That said, I believe that his potential will be realize. The player development team will have to work with him in order to realize and grow his capabilities. In the meantime, the Grizzlies will continue to grow and compete as they become more experience with becoming contenders, As for the draft of Santi, I believe that if he gets the minutes later on, he will be reliable offensively, but his defense I think will be an issue. He puts me in the mindset of Omri Casspi. Perhaps, a better version of him as a role player.
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Re: Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly. 

Post#13 » by jman3134 » Wed Aug 18, 2021 3:34 am

SD2042 wrote:
Whole Truth wrote:I'm all for an upside pick, Memphis has generally played it safe with their advanced picks.. Williams potential comp for me could be Durant lite. As a Raptor fan I came here because of Jonas but can't be mad, Memphis drafted size, defense & potential for that SF spot in deciding to sink or swim with 3J at the 5.

In taking on additional salary, they secured their choice, got some added pick leverage & insurance for the upcoming 22 season, if everything flops, 3J potentially not being able to stay healthy among other factors etc...

As said, I'm a Raptors fan that came here because of Jonas & with him being traded out, so am I. It was fun Vic, ESVL, others..

Welcome Williams, goodbye Memphis, good luck.


Truth, don't be a stranger. You just like the others here are one of the good ones. The door is always open.

As the draft itself, this was a wild one to say the least. I didn't expect Ziare to be the player the Grizzlies would draft. That said, I believe that his potential will be realize. The player development team will have to work with him in order to realize and grow his capabilities. In the meantime, the Grizzlies will continue to grow and compete as they become more experience with becoming contenders, As for the draft of Santi, I believe that if he gets the minutes later on, he will be reliable offensively, but his defense I think will be an issue. He puts me in the mindset of Omri Casspi. Perhaps, a better version of him as a role player.


Did you delete another post about the Casspi comparison or am I imagining things? I like the comparison, though I think Casspi will always be more high energy/motor and projects as the better shooter. A low motor Casspi would still be a very good player and I can see this as Aldama's upside. I agree with you in terms of fluidity. I just feel Aldama does most of his damage in the half court, whereas Casspi frequently leaked ahead if I'm remembering his game correctly. Size agility wise (I think Santi is a little taller) I see the comp.
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Re: Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly. 

Post#14 » by GQ Hot Dog » Mon Aug 23, 2021 6:22 pm

Hello Grizz fans, Warriors fan here. Ziaire was my favorite player in the draft and the guy I hoped we would take at 7 if Kuminga wasn't available. My big board(for the Warriors at least) went:

Cunningham
Mobley
Green
Suggs
Kuminga
Ziaire
Moody

I was ecstatic when both Kuminga and Moody were taken at #7 and #14 respectively. So it didn't surprise me in the least when you guys took Ziaire at #10. I was getting scoffed at on the Warriors board because I was insisting we would need to take Ziaire with pick #7 if we were going to get him and that he would end up being picked in the top-10.

To all those saying he's raw and has a low floor, you've got it wrong. The only reason to suggest that is because he's got a naturally late blooming body, still only about 190 while being 6'10. He's yet to fill out into his adult body.

Otherwise, he's got great hands and great balance. He's a skilled shot maker and scorer. He needs to work on his 3pt shot but the form is beautiful, he's got that Steph Curry one-motion shot rather than a two-piece shot and it's only going to get better and quicker with reps. He's an instinctive passer and an excellent ball handler for his size. He's an aggressive and focused perimeter defender although he's going to get bodied by a lot of stronger players in his first couple of years. He's also someone that hunts rebounds which I didn't expect when I first started scouting him. There will be many times he grabs defensive boards and then streaks up court past the defense for layups and dishes because he's extremely quick, agile and balanced for a guy his size. I could go on and on about him, he really has no holes in his game other than lacking strength. Even without strength, he still has remarkably good body control for finishing and floaters in and around the key.

He's going to carve out a niche off the bench for you guys by the end of this year if Jenkins allows it. By year 3 he's going to replace Anderson as your starting SF(if Anderson is still on the team, what with all the rumors). I think you'll have a starting 5 something like Ja/Brooks/Ziaire/Clarke/JJJ to look forward to for the 2023-24 season.
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Jester_ wrote:Hot take: Moses Moody shows the potential to be a star/#2 option ala Lauri Markkanen. Both the eye test and the advanced stats show a player with extremely high slope.
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Re: Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly. 

Post#15 » by SD2042 » Wed Aug 25, 2021 9:56 pm

jman3134 wrote:
SD2042 wrote:
Whole Truth wrote:I'm all for an upside pick, Memphis has generally played it safe with their advanced picks.. Williams potential comp for me could be Durant lite. As a Raptor fan I came here because of Jonas but can't be mad, Memphis drafted size, defense & potential for that SF spot in deciding to sink or swim with 3J at the 5.

In taking on additional salary, they secured their choice, got some added pick leverage & insurance for the upcoming 22 season, if everything flops, 3J potentially not being able to stay healthy among other factors etc...

As said, I'm a Raptors fan that came here because of Jonas & with him being traded out, so am I. It was fun Vic, ESVL, others..

Welcome Williams, goodbye Memphis, good luck.


Truth, don't be a stranger. You just like the others here are one of the good ones. The door is always open.

As the draft itself, this was a wild one to say the least. I didn't expect Ziare to be the player the Grizzlies would draft. That said, I believe that his potential will be realize. The player development team will have to work with him in order to realize and grow his capabilities. In the meantime, the Grizzlies will continue to grow and compete as they become more experience with becoming contenders, As for the draft of Santi, I believe that if he gets the minutes later on, he will be reliable offensively, but his defense I think will be an issue. He puts me in the mindset of Omri Casspi. Perhaps, a better version of him as a role player.


Did you delete another post about the Casspi comparison or am I imagining things? I like the comparison, though I think Casspi will always be more high energy/motor and projects as the better shooter. A low motor Casspi would still be a very good player and I can see this as Aldama's upside. I agree with you in terms of fluidity. I just feel Aldama does most of his damage in the half court, whereas Casspi frequently leaked ahead if I'm remembering his game correctly. Size agility wise (I think Santi is a little taller) I see the comp.



Not to my knowledge jman. My thoughts are similar to yours. Casspi overall has the advantage as the better shooter and motor thus far. Aldama is just getting start and as such will need time to develop his game. Then overtime, we'll see what wil result from Aldama's game as seasons roll on.
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Re: Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly. 

Post#16 » by E S V L » Wed Aug 25, 2021 10:34 pm

I’ve noticed in Aldama natural BB instincts. Gut feeling - he is gonna surprise us.
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Re: Zaire Williams. Let’s welcome a new born Grizzly. 

Post#17 » by VCfor3 » Thu Aug 26, 2021 12:36 am

E S V L wrote:I’ve noticed in Aldama natural BB instincts. Gut feeling - he is gonna surprise us.

I hope you are right and honestly I think there is a good chance you will be given the FO's track record. I can't wait to eat that crow haha

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