The advice that fueled Ziaire Williams’ Nets breakout

With the Nets having spent assets to reacquire their own first-round pick, and the season spent jostling to ensure they land in next month’s lottery, it’s important to remember that those talents are still teenagers.

They won’t be finished products. The finishing school that is the NBA will require ups and downs, and it will take longer for some than others.

Ziaire Williams is Exhibit A.

A lottery pick in 2021 and a salary dump last summer, the 23-year-old Williams is finally starting to come into his own as a player on the court because he’s beginning to figure out exactly what works for him off it.