Ziaire Williams was cleared from day-to-day on the Lakers' injury report Friday at 9:06 p.m. ET. He is available as the Lakers open their 2026-27 season against the Nuggets.
What happened
Ziaire Williams is no longer listed as day-to-day. The Lakers' injury report moved him to cleared on Friday, Oct. 16 at 9:06 p.m. ET, upgrading him from the day-to-day tag he had carried for over a week. He first appeared as day-to-day on Tuesday, Oct. 6 with a rest designation, then showed up Thursday, Oct. 8 as day-to-day with an undisclosed issue, then Saturday, Oct. 10 as day-to-day with a foot and leg issue. No comment was attached to Friday's report.
What it means for the Lakers
Williams is available for the Lakers' season opener against the Nuggets on Friday, Oct. 16 at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Lakers are 0-0, since the 2026-27 season has not started, so there is no record with or without him yet. Last season he played 56 games at 22.9 minutes, averaging 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists. With him back, the Lakers' rotation also includes Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia and Luke Kennard.
What to watch
No expected-return timeline applies since Williams has been cleared outright. The next injury report will come ahead of the Lakers' following game. Three other Lakers remain on the report: Adou Thiero and Cameron Carr are both day-to-day with undisclosed issues, and Collin Sexton is day-to-day with a right lower leg issue.
Is Ziaire Williams playing vs Nuggets?
Yes. He was cleared on the Lakers' injury report Friday, Oct. 16 at 9:06 p.m. ET, lifting the day-to-day tag he had carried into the opener.
When will Ziaire Williams be back?
He is already back. His status was upgraded from day-to-day to cleared, with no further absence announced.