Cody

Williams

Williams has looked more comfortable in Las Vegas than Salt Lake City, and increased opportunities to serve as a playmaker have helped. While the assist tally (one) may not be impressive, the first-round pick out of Colorado was able to set up teammates on numerous occasions. Williams’ fantasy value could be low to begin the season, but he’s a player who would flourish if the Jazz pulled the plug and went all-in on “Capture the (Cooper) Flag(g)” after the calendar flips to 2025.

After struggling in Utah’s three games at the Salt Lake City summer league, Williams got untracked in his Las Vegas debut. The lottery pick out of Colorado was highly efficient as a scorer, shooting 66.7% from the field and 50% from three. Williams was able to get to his spots off the dribble and convert catch-and-shoot opportunities. Williams’ performance against the Mavericks should alleviate some of the concerns fantasy managers had earlier in the week.

It has not been a great start to Williams’ career, even if it is just Summer League. His only two points in this game came at the free throw line late in the fourth quarter, and he didn’t contribute much in other areas. Williams is now up to 15 total points in three Summer League games, which isn’t what they were hoping for out of him. Perhaps he will be able to figure things out in Las Vegas, but the early struggles are at least mildly concerning.

Summer League hasn’t been kind to the 10th pick of the draft. Williams has a total of 13 points on 6-of-15 shooting across 49 minutes, which isn’t ideal. Summer League doesn’t define a player, especially a rookie, so these early struggles shouldn’t discourage managers too much. Still, it would be nice to see him improve over the next few weeks. Regardless, Williams isn’t a player that managers should be targeting in redraft leagues this upcoming season due to the amount of competition that he will have for minutes.

Utah’s 2024 lottery pick had a relatively quiet summer debut, with Williams’ most notable highlight being a second-quarter finish through contact. While there is a need for the former Colorado wing to add strength, his fluid movement makes him a difficult player to defend in transition. Williams should have opportunities to do more offensively this summer, especially if the Jazz decide to rest some of their more experienced summer league players while in Las Vegas. That would give fantasy managers a better idea of what Williams’ ceiling could potentially be as a rookie.

Cody, the younger brother of Thunder star Jalen Williams, spent one season at Colorado before deciding to turn pro. Limited to 24 games due to injury, the 6-foot-7 wing averaged 11.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 0.7 3-pointers in 28.4 minutes per game. Williams shot 41.5$ from three, but that was on limited volume, as he attempted just 41 of his 194 shots from beyond the arc. While he isn’t an athletically explosive wing, Williams is a solid offensive option when allowed to attack opposing defenders in transition. At this stage in his career, Cody is further ahead defensively than offensively. Williams has plenty of room to grow on both ends of the floor, but the physical tools are there. In Utah, he joins a team that needed to add length and athleticism on the wing, so the opportunity to play early should be there.