Utah Jazz Rookies Stand Out in Loss to Kings

Utah saw encouraging play from its rookies in last night’s game versus Sacramento.

Oct 25, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) goes to the basket against Golden State Warriors forward Lindy Waters III (43) during the fourth quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Through four games, the Utah Jazz have yet to come out on top. And part of that is by design, with the team having entered a rebuild in the last few seasons.

Still, the franchise will want to come by wins every now and then.

For now, the team is relegated to moral victories, which it saw last night in the form of its rookies seeing pretty solid performances, despite the loss.

From the starting lineup, forward Cody Williams was able to see the best performance of his young career. Drafted at No. 10, Williams is a project-esque, do-it-all forward. And he was able to show off that very skillset in the 17-point loss.

Williams scored a high of nine points on 3-for-7 shooting, hitting all three of his field goals from beyond the arc. He also added two assists and two steals in looking to part of a pretty solid combo forward.

Kyle Filipowski, a former Duke center who slid all the way out of the first round to No. 32, was one of the brighter spots in the game. In just 25 minutes, “Flip” added 12 points on 50% shooting, hitting two of his five 3-point shots in showing off his range. The former Blue Devil also added eight rebounds, two assists and a steal, showing clear versatility.

Again, the game was rarely close, with the new-look Kings pulling away early and failing to look back. But there were silver linings throughout for the Jazz, who will look to build around its young core for the foreseeable future.

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