While we knew it would take some time for Cody Williams to physically be ready for the rigors of the NBA season, his rookie year has probably been worse than anyone could have imagined.
With rookies around the league and even on his team starting to show real signs of growth, it’s caused some concern around Williams. This begs the question, how concerned should Utah Jazz fans be about their 20-year-old rookie?
Some Cody Williams SL highlights for the timeline.
Bright future for the 10th overall pick. pic.twitter.com/JTHocT7mfF
— AJ (@AJ3Jazz) July 31, 2024
The Jazz used the 10th pick on Williams after he spent a year at Colorado. While the 2024 draft class was viewed as poor, his selection was pretty widely viewed as a good pick for the Jazz.
Williams is the brother of Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star forward Jalen Williams, was one of the highest-rated high school recruits in his class, and had a stellar start to his college career before injuries derailed his production. He also reportedly had a great workout with the Jazz.
Standing 6’7 with a 7’1 wingspan, it’s easy to see the idea of Williams. He’s a smooth athlete who has shown flashes of doing everything on the court. He can handle and pass the ball. He’s long and has the upside to be a multi-positional defender in the future. He’s a smart player who rarely forces bad shots. And lastly, he’s an excellent finisher at the rim.
Unfortunately at this point, he doesn’t do any of those things well enough to stand out. In 21 minutes per game, Williams is averaging 4.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. More concerningly, he’s shooting 32.6% from the floor and 26.6% on three-pointers. By most advanced metrics, Williams has been one of the worst players in the league this season.
It was clear that he’d need time to work on his body especially when he weighed in at 178 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine. Despite this, I thought the skills we outlined earlier would shine more than they have.
a couple cody buckets for your friday night 🥤🍿 pic.twitter.com/btrruKxmqO
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 8, 2025
In his defense, this Jazz team is really bad which does not make it easy for any of its young players to play winning basketball. In a better situation where he was asked to do less, maybe things would look better.
So, while his struggles have certainly been discouraging, I wouldn’t say I’m overly concerned, yet.
We’ve known that he would need time to develop physically. Getting stronger should help him exponentially on both ends of the court. In addition, Williams needs to tighten up his handle so that he can get to the rim more, the area of his game that has seemed NBA-ready.
Possibly the biggest swing skill for him is how he develops as a shooter though. Unfortunately, it’s tough for perimeter players to survive if they can’t shoot. Williams needs to develop here rather quickly.
Overall, it’s too early to give up on Cody Williams and his future with the Jazz. He’s going into a crucial summer with plenty to work on. Fortunately, he has the tools and opportunity to do so. Here’s to hoping he can grow into the player the Jazz saw when they used the 10th pick in the draft on him.
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