Ziaire Williams Praises Luka Doncic’s Leadership

With LeBron James leaving in free agency, Luka Doncic is the unquestioned face of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise now, and with that comes extra responsibilities.

Doncic is already showing he is up to the task as he organized a team minicamp in his home country of Slovenia ahead of training camp. With so many new faces on the roster, it made all the sense in the world for the team to get together in order to build chemistry on and off the court ahead of the upcoming season.

Ziaire Williams, who recently signed a one-year contract with the Lakers, praised Doncic for his leadership and spoke on how much easier the superstar will make the game for him and the rest of the team, via Benjamin Royer of the Southern California News Group:

Williams said Doncic “has big kid energy, like a young, youthful spirit,” adding that he could tell how much Doncic cared about winning games but also how much he cares about his teammates.

“I can tell (Doncic’s) leadership. He wants to step up even more this year,” Williams said. “I’m excited, man. I’m really excited to play with him. And of course, when we’re playing basketball, it’s just he makes the game just so easy and looks so simple. He’s going to make my life a lot easier for sure.”

Williams and Doncic actually have a bit of a history as the two were involved in a small scuffle when the Lakers played in Brooklyn last season. They clearly were able to put that behind them now that their teammates though, which will remind Laker fans of the Kobe Bryant years when he recruited some of his biggest rivals like Metta World Peace and Matt Barnes to the purple and gold.

Williams is right though in saying that Doncic will make the game easier for him. He has improved as a offensive player the last couple of seasons but still has room to grow as a cutter and shooter, which Doncic should help with.

Ziaire Williams lays out expected role with Lakers

And on the other end of the court, Williams was brought in to be a perimeter defender for the Lakers, and role that has already been laid out for him by JJ Redick and the coaching staff.

“Obviously Luka (Doncic) and AR (Austin Reaves) are going to be the main primary ball handlers,” Williams said. “So just playing off them, being able to shoot, cut, make plays in transition, stuff like that. They thought it was a great fit for me to be here, and the feeling was mutual.”