Ziaire Williams suffers ‘minor’ back fracture but is nearing Nets…
Ziaire Williams sustained a “small, very minor” back fracture along with a contusion after a tough fall during the Nets’ loss Sunday in San Antonio. And while he said he has recovered shortly, he is aware of he’ll probably should preserve playing by way of some pain even after returning.
Williams will continue taking it day-to-day, and the key bench piece said his hope is to return Sunday when the Nets host the 76ers.
“It locked up on me,” Williams told The Post on Thursday while at a Raising Cane’s event in Times Square to advertise a 2,741-pound carved pumpkin. “… But it’s one thing that can’t worsen. So at this point, it’s just a pain tolerance factor, in order soon as the pain just goes down, it’s never gonna be good at the very least proper now.
Terance Mann and Ziaire Williams (proper) attend Raising Cane’s unveiling of the nation’s largest pumpkin with celeb buddies at Military Island, Times Square on Oct. 30, 2025 in New York City. Getty Images for Raising Cane’s
“But as long as it’s just enough for me to get through it, and defensive slides and stuff, then I’ll play.”
Williams, a former first-round decide in his second season with the Nets has an try and spark his profession, has averaged 18.3 minutes per game this yr, and while he managed just six mixed factors across two of the games, he erupted for 25 factors last week against the Cavaliers to assist Brooklyn preserve tempo with an Eastern Conference contender. Like other veterans on the roster, his function may stay murky on a team that introduced in 5 rookie first-round picks this offseason, but Williams flashed what he may add across 45 begins and 63 appearances for Brooklyn last yr.
As somebody whose protection has grow to be a strength, Williams said he takes duty for what transpired across the Nets’ opening three games, after they allowed a median of 128.3 factors. From the bench Wednesday, Williams watched as Brooklyn made some strides. They restricted the Hawks in stretches, round two quarters value of time, head coach Jordi Fernández said, and he challenged them to maintain pushing that to a few quarters before finally turning into a full game’s value of stout protection.
“It’s just about putting it together for 48 minutes, cutting down the bleeding,” Williams said. “We’ve been down 15, 20 factors, so watching movie and seeing what we may do better to cease those runs, after we play with desperation, we’re fairly good, man. We apply plenty of strain, get guys to show the ball over and capturing dangerous pictures.
Ziaire Williams battles Jaylon Tyson for a unfastened ball in the first half of the Nets’ loss to the Cavaliers at Barclays Center on Oct. 24, 2025. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“So we just gotta just figure out how can we do that from the jump,” Williams said.
Michael Porter Jr. has already recorded almost as many 30-point performances by way of 5 games this yr (two) as he did across all of last season with the Nuggets (three), but while Fernández admitted that he likes his aggressiveness en path to 32 factors during the Nets’ loss to the Hawks on Thursday, he was also important of Porter’s team-high 4 turnovers. The Nets dedicated 16 against Atlanta.
“Those are the things that could be better, right?” Fernández said postgame Thursday. “Like, they scored 27 points out of 16 turnovers and we only scored seven out from eight. So, that 20-point difference, it’s a big deal. I always tell the guys, I give them 14 [turnovers]. Everything that passes 14, it’s not good. And if your turnovers are the ones that you just give it to them and they score a layup, it’s not good. You have to be able to turn it over, get back and get a stop”
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