Rookie Outlook: Jazz's Cody Williams

Landing at 12th overall to the Utah Jazz, rookie Cody Williams will have plenty of room to progress this season.

Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Cody Williams poses for photos with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected in the first round by the Utah Jazz in the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Several Oklahoma City Thunder fans awaited the countdown to No. 12 to see if Cody Williams would land with his older brother, Jalen Williams. As nine picks went by, the brother-brother dynamic was getting closer to being realized.

But the Utah Jazz spoiled the day for all Thunder and NBA fans hoping to see a fairly cool storyline -- they didn't care. They snatched up a player with a great load of potential, very solid immediate skill set and one seemingly with a lot of humility and composure.

The former Colorado Buffalo's lone year in college yielded him a lot of praise, establishing himself as a near 12-point-per-game scorer on 55% from the field, being the team's most efficient scorer at that level of production. Now heading into a young team that lacks a lot of experience, he has the opportunity to grow at a consistent rate in his position backing up Lauri Markkanen at the three.

His debut season will be filled with a lot of rocky moments as he makes strides as a decision-maker, but his upside is high, and the Jazz are banking on that down the line. In the West, Utah won't make much noise at all when examining the rest of the Western Conference, many teams of which are emerging -- giving Williams plenty of time on the floor to provide any value he can when the team may be struggling on a given night.

Williams has the tools to be special in the coming years. For now, he's a bit of a project in progress who will seem to have a lot of freedom on this team -- and he'll be able to offer some solid impact in year one.

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