Jazz Lottery Pick Could Prove to be Worth the Hype

The Utah Jazz selected Utah Jazz swingman Cody Williams with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the brother of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams could prove to be worth the hype 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-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Utah Jazz used a top-ten pick on Colorado swingman Cody Williams in what was an interesting 2024 NBA Draft strategy. The Jazz collected a trio of players that at one point or another in the cycle, was projected in the lottery or even at the top pick in the class. Joining Williams is Kyle Filipowski and Isaiah Collier who fell to the second and late first round, respectively.

For Williams, the brother of Oklahoma City Thunder rising star Jalen Williams, he might be tasked with shouldering the load as a future star in Salt Lake City, joining a young core that already included Keyonte George and freshly paid Lauri Markkanen.

There was no shortage of hype around the former Colorado wing despite a messy freshman season riddled with injuries, many still had Williams at or near the top of the class including this scribe.

The Utah Jazz will likely try to compete at the start of the season in the rough and tumble Western Conference, but barring injuries or implosions from other squads, the Jazz should quickly turn their attention to the May Lottery balls.

In the meantime, that leaves plenty of opportunity for Williams to dazzle the Utah Jazz faithful, trending toward having the most runway of any rookie in his class by the end of the season. With that leeway, perhaps the Jazz first-year swingman can not only prove to be worth the hype but nab the Rookie of the Year award.

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