Ziaire Williams has missed the Los Angeles Lakers’ past three games with a left foot injury, a tough blow after what was an excellent start to his 2026-27 campaign.
Don’t Let Coach Redick’s Calmness Fool You
Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke to reporters before Sunday’s win over the Toronto Raptors, and he didn’t seem too stressed about Williams’ status. “The images have been clean,” Redick said. “It’s this, I would describe it as a soreness that just pops up in the morning. He’s feeling a lot better. I think just being, again, cautious with the back to back.”
But here’s the thing: Williams was playing a crucial role for the Lakers. He’s been one of their primary point-of-attack stoppers and an efficient off-ball scorer, absolutely capitalizing on his chances playing alongside Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. In his four games this season before the injury, he was averaging a career-high 11.3 points, shooting a crazy 69.2% on 2-pointers and a sharp 46.7% from beyond the arc. He also chipped in 3.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.5 steals.
The numbers don’t lie. When Williams was on the floor for those 114 minutes this season, the Lakers outscored their opponents by a staggering 29 points. The team is already pretty thin on the wing, especially at power forward, so any extended absence for a guy playing this well is a massive headache. Redick says they are being cautious, and you hope that means he’s truly feeling better, because this team needs him back on the court sooner rather than later.
Stepping Up and the Road Ahead
The Lakers have managed to go 2-1 without Williams in the lineup, which is a testament to the team’s depth, or perhaps just Luka Dončić’s sheer will. Jake LaRavia has stepped up to fill the void, and he’s put together a solid three-game stretch, averaging 6.7 points (46.7% shooting, 50% from deep), 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.3 blocks, and 1.3 assists.
The schedule might offer a small silver lining, though. Aside from Monday’s second game of a back-to-back, the Lakers don’t have another one until November 17 and 18. That means the schedule isn’t too jammed in the coming weeks, which should help limit how many more games, if any, Williams has to miss.
The Lakers are hitting their stride at 5-2, sitting fourth in the West after that 131-125 beatdown of the Kawhi Leonard-less Raptors on Sunday. Luka Dončić went absolutely wild, dropping 45 points, 15 rebounds, six assists, five steals, and a block. Now they welcome the Heat to Crypto.com Arena Monday night at 7 p.m. Miami started 0-4, but they’ve strung two wins together. Can the Lakers keep their momentum rolling while Williams heals up, or will his absence start to show against a team finding its rhythm?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Silver Screen and Roll.
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