BROOKLYN, New York (WREG) — The Memphis Grizzlies select Stanford forward Ziaire Williams with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
As a freshman at Stanford, Williams averaged 10.7 points and 4.6 rebounds a game for the Cardinal. He garnered Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honorable mention honors and was named a Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year top-10 finalist.
The Grizzlies traded Jonas Valanciunas to the New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 10 pick, along with Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams.
Williams, 19, was a McDonald’s All-American. In his lone season at Stanford, the 6-foot-8 and 185-pound Williams averaged 10.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 20 games. Williams shot 37.1%, including 29.1% on 3-pointers.
In his college debut against Alabama in the Maui Classic, he scored 19 points, but only surpassed 15 points in five of the team’s remaining 19 games. Despite the modest production, Williams recorded the second triple-double in Stanford history against Washington. He started 14 of 20 games.
While at Sierra Canyon High School in California, he was named to the United States team for the FIBA Under-19 World Championships. He averaged 4.6 points for the U.S. team, which earned the gold medal. As a senior at Sierra Canyon, Williams averaged 15 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists and led the team to the CIF-SS Open Division title
The Grizzlies reached the playoffs last season, but were knocked out in the opening round by the Utah Jazz. Memphis also had a pick in the second round (No. 51) but will receive the No. 40 pick under the trade agreement.