The Utah Jazz know exactly what they’ll get on a night-to-night basis from Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, and Collin Sexton because they know what they can do. However, in Cody Williams’ case, it’s different. Not only is he a rookie, but he’s raw.
Coming into the season, he was the Jazz’s prized first-round pick and part of a hyped-up rookie class that included him, Isaiah Collier, and Kyle Filipowski. Filipowski and Collier came in expecting to be more NBA-ready, though Williams was believed to have the highest ceiling of the three.
That has more or less come to fruition, though th e Jazz hoped Williams would be ready to go right away. TLDR: he wasn’t, which has led to multiple G-League stints for Williams. However, the Jazz are one of the few teams in the NBA who could afford to wait for Williams to develop, and in games like the one the Jazz just lost to the Suns, he’s proving why they shouldn’t lose faith in him.
Williams easily had his best performance of the season, scoring 13 points on five-for-10 shooting from the field to go with two assists. He was drawing and-1s, making the right passes, and he finished with a team-high plus-minus of plus-seven. He played so well that the Jazz played him in their closing lineup against the Suns.
This is the kind of player the Jazz had in mind when they drafted Williams. Someone who can put the ball in the basket but can also help in other ways too. He’s a project for sure, but games like this show that he can compete at an NBA level.
Williams can build off of this performance
The Jazz have been trying to get Williams going for a few games now, as they’ve been dealing with Jordan Clarkson’s and John Collins’ injury woes. It’s not like he took his expanded role and ran with it at first, but with more touches, Williams has at least not looked completely helpless.
Anyone who’s seen him in person can see how skinny he is and that with time, he will add more meat to those bones. With the performance he just had, Williams should only improve as he continues to grow into his own body.
His role will likely decrease again as the Jazz try to up the trade value for some of their players, but once trading season is done and away with, Williams could have be much higher up in the rotation depending on who stays and who goes.
Before the Jazz’s game against the Suns, that would likely make fans a little antsy because Williams hadn’t shown too much. While it’s not like he dominated the Suns, he showed that he can be the player the Jazz envisioned him as. Even if that progress will come in baby steps.
Walker Kessler and Brice Sensabaugh have already given the Jazz encouraging signs as the season has progressed. If Williams follows in their footsteps, that would be a tremendous sign for the Jazz’s long-term future.
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