Mock Draft: Raptors Take Brother of OKC Star At No. 6

The Toronto Raptors are projected to take Colorado's Cody Williams with the No. 6 pick in the NBA draft this year

Mar 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Colorado Buffaloes forward Cody Williams (10) dribbles / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

It’s not hard to look at Cody Williams and see an impactful NBA player.

The 6-foot-8 forward was the No. 4 prospect coming out of high school and has all the tools to be a difference-maker at the next level. He’s long and athletic with a smooth-looking jump shot and if he can put on some muscle, he has the potential to be a real impact defender. Oh, and his brother Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder is a pretty impressive basketball player too.

But injuries and inconsistent play marred Williams’ freshman season at Colorado and have made him a bit of a tough prospect to evaluate at the top of the draft should the Toronto Raptors keep their top-six protected first-round pick this year.

Williams was limited to just 24 games this year and averaged 11.9 points, three rebounds, 1.6 assists, and two turnovers per game. His shooting splits, 55.2% from the floor and 41.5% from three-point range were impressive, but he wasn’t a high-volume shooter which raises questions about how real those shooting numbers are.

Between late November and late January, Williams strung together a nine-game stretch in which he averaged 17.6 points while shooting 54.5% on 2.4 three-point attempts per game and showed the kind of high-end potential scouts had been looking for from Williams. But a seven-game stretch to end the season showed the other side of Williams, who was held to just 6.3 points per game while shooting 14.3% from behind the arc from late February onward.

That said, there’s still plenty of upside in Williams who the Ringer’s Kevin O’Conner has projected to go at No. 6 to the Raptors. The 19-year-old has shown flashes of being a point forward who can navigate the pick-and-roll, but he still has work to do to become a reliable self-creator. His size suggests he can defend across multiple positions and he's shown a willingness to be a tough defensive player.

For Toronto, Williams would be more of a developmental prospect than some of the other players at or near the top of this year’s class. He’d likely spend some time in the G League or coming off the bench for the Raptors who hope not to be at the top of the lottery again next year. But for an organization that isn’t expected to be among the Eastern Conference’s best next year, drafting a high-upside prospect like Williams who requires some developmental time might not be such a bad idea.