Many Oklahoma City Thunder fans were waiting for the countdown to the 12th spot to see if Cody Williams would land alongside his older brother, Jalen Williams. As nine picks ticked by, the brother-brother dynamic grew closer and closer.
But the Utah Jazz ruined the day for all the Thunder and NBA fans who were hoping to see a pretty cool story, but they didn’t get it. They got a player with huge potential, very solid immediate skills and who seems to have a lot of humility and composure.
The former Colorado Buffalo player spent just one year in college and received plenty of praise. He averaged nearly 12 points per game on 55 percent shooting, making him the team’s most efficient scorer at that level of production. Now that he’s joining a young team that’s lacking a lot of experience, he has the opportunity to grow at a steady pace as Lauri Markkanen’s backup three-pointer.
His first season will be filled with some tough moments as he progresses in his decision-making, but his potential is high and the Jazz are banking on that going forward. Out West, Utah won’t make much noise when you look at the rest of the Western Conference, which has many teams emerging from it – which gives Williams plenty of time on the court to provide whatever value he can when the team may be struggling on any given night.
Williams has the tools to be special in the coming years. For now, he’s a work in progress who looks set to have plenty of freedom on this team – and he’ll be able to make a solid impact in year one.
Would you like to participate in the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook And Follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
