It can be hard to imagine just how bad the Utah Jazz could be on their worst nights considering how they just took a 123-112 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night. However, the Jazz have been shuffling their rotation as of late, with Lauri Markkanen and other key players being in and out of the lineup in recent games, and this has led to some major unpredictability — including in their 55-point defeat to the Charlotte Hornets back on Saturday.
That 150-95 loss was so brutal that Jazz head coach Will Hardy was simply left frustrated, and one player in particular in sophomore forward Cody Williams ended up making history in terms of personal futility. Williams, the brother of Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams, ended up posting the worst individual plus-minus in a single game in NBA history with minus-60.
The Thunder star then came to the defense of his brother, saying that he too posted some historic futility in plus-minus, during the NBA Finals no less, and yet he still won a title — explicitly stating how useless of a stat single-game plus-minus is.
“He played well… Let’s highlight that, I had a -40 and won a Finals, plus minus a useless stat,” the Thunder forward wrote as a response to a comment on Instagram mocking the Jazz sophomore.
Jalen Williams on his brother, Cody, having the lowest plus/minus in NBA history of -60 vs. Hornets:
“He played well… Let’s highlight that, I had a -40 and won a Finals, plus minus a useless stat.”
(via @LeagueAlerts) pic.twitter.com/0IOkzK4GK8
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 12, 2026
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Can Cody Williams find his footing with the Jazz?
Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) leaps toward the basket ahead of Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabaté (14) during the first half at Delta Center.
Peter Creveling-Imagn Images
Williams has endured a ton of growing pains in his first year and a half in the NBA; the Jazz sophomore has struggled so much at times that he hasn't featured as a major part of the team's rotation.
Nonetheless, he did start on Monday night in their win over the Cavs (Markkanen and company were active), and he's been getting more opportunities as of late. He hasn't yet provided the impact one would expect from a top-10 pick, but he's only 21 years of age, and he deserves the benefit of the doubt as he grows into his role in the league.