There hasn't been much for the Memphis Grizzlies to smile about early in the 2023-24 NBA season. They were at one point the only team in the league without a win to start the season and it's possible Taylor Jenkins could be on the hot seat. You really have to dig deep to find something positive for the Grizzlies right now but, it's possible Ziaire Williams is that positive right now.

He's struggled a little bit since his early start to the season and even going back to preseason. It's important though for the team to keep his confidence up and see if they can't get him back to playing how he was the past couple of weeks.

Ziaire Williams will keep his starting spot in the Grizzlies lineup

Coming into the season, Grizzlies fans probably didn't expect much from Ziaire Williams. He was a lottery pick and oozing with talent coming out of Stanford, but multiple injuries but him behind the eight-ball from the get go.

Williams missed a string of 14 games of his rookie season in 2021-22 due to an ankle injury and that was followed up by being placed in league health and safety protocols. Last year, his second in the NBA, he missed 24 games with a knee injury. It's set him back and he never really had been able to establish a consistent rhythm. A player of his skill-set would have been highly useful during the Grizzlies first round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Ziaire Williams Grizzlies

Williams came into camp and preseason looking like a different player. The Grizzlies picked up his contract option for next season; a move that showed they obviously value the young wing and still see him as a part of their future. Williams began showing flashes of his improved game during NBA Summer League, but it was the preseason where he really shined.

In five preseason games, Williams averaged 12.4 points per game, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists with splits of 52.5 percent shooting from the field, 45 percent shooting from the three point line and 84.6 percent shooting from the free throw line.

That strong performance in the preseason earned him the starting small forward spot once the regular season began. One of the main areas in which Williams made himself valuable to the Grizzlies was his play on the defensive end. His mobility and length allow him to defend quicker and smaller guards. The lingering question is how he can match up defensively with bigger forwards in the Western Conference.

Williams has also shown tremendous improvement on the offensive end. Being able to consistently knock down the catch and shoot three point shot is critical for a wing like him to getting consistent rotation minutes. As of publication, Williams has been shooting 31.4 percent from the three point line.

That's up from the paltry 25.8 percent he shot last season, and it's somewhat skewed by his recent 0-5 outing against the Miami Heat. Prior to that he had been shooting close to 37 percent from beyond the arc and he was attempting a career-high 4.4 attempts from downtown.

And it's also been the way Williams is being used on the offensive end. He's had on-ball reps a lot so far this season, being a primary ball-handler and navigating the defense. Williams played guard a lot early in his basketball career particularly in high school. While he projects as a three/small ball four in the NBA, those guard abilities are still there.

Once Ja Morant comes back, the Grizzlies starting lineup is obviously going to change. Look for Williams to regain some of the confidence he had early this season and make a case to lock down the starting small forward spot the rest of the year.