The 2024 NBA Draft class is widely considered to be a weak one without many surefire top prospects, but Cody Williams is being overlooked as a worthy swing at the top of the draft.
Williams played just one injury-plagued season at Colorado, but has the size and all-around package of skills that could make him a prototypical NBA wing in a league desperate for exactly that.
Let's look at a brief scouting report and see why Williams' upside is worth believing in.
Williams has ideal wing size at 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, so it's both the height and reach that give him versatility on both ends of the court. He's likely a three, but should be able to also play the four once his frame fills out better, and he may be able to defend three or four positions in the NBA.
Williams grew up playing point guard before a high school growth spurt, and you see it in his game. He's a smart, instinctive player with a great hoops IQ. He moves well both with and without the ball and is a smart cutter who has a knack for being in good positions. Williams also has good vision and moves the ball well.
The athletic profile is admittedly a bit hit or miss. Williams is fluid and comfortable in his body, a plus considering the relatively recent growth spurt, and he's already learning to use his size well with a deceptively quick step to the basket because of his long strides and Euro step abilities.
He doesn't have a ton of shiftiness and his handle is nothing special at this point, but don't mistake the lack of explosion for an inability to get to the rim. Williams has outstanding change of pace and deceleration, and was the best non-big in the class at finishing at the rim (74%) — and he got there about three times a game despite his injured season and relatively moderate usage.
It's worth noting that Williams dealt with injuries to his face, ankle and wrist all in one season, and a hot early start slowed down late, but he still showed some of the same flashes throughout. None of those injuries look to be long term, but they might have muted his upside late in the season and could have hurt his testing numbers and some of those athletic deficiencies on film.
The shot will be a swing factor, as it is for most prospects. Williams hit 42% of his 3s, but didn't take many of them, and he took few pull-ups from the mid-range. With as good as he is at getting to the rim, adding a reliable jumper could form a devastating combination. The shot mechanics look good, and there's good reason to believe in the shot.
There's just a lot to like here — size on the wing and fluid, comfortable athleticism. There's also the ability to attack, vision and shot making.
The defense doesn't stand out yet and will need some development, but it's hard to get a strong read on that end from a freshman on a competitive high-major team that was in and out of the lineup with injuries. It certainly doesn't look like a strength, but there's reason to believe given his size and feel for the game.
And then there's the pedigree — Williams is the younger brother of Jalen Williams, the breakout sophomore star of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The late Jonathan Tjarks, my friend and a brilliant and creative basketball analyst, always had a theory that he loved to bet on younger siblings. We've seen it in many sports, where the younger sibling is effectively forced to "play up" against bigger, stronger, more athletic, tougher competition and has to prove their meddle early before blooming later against their peers.
There's a lot to like about Cody Williams, and there's reason to believe — with his late growth spurt and injury-plagued freshman season — that he may not have even fully bloomed yet.
In a NBA Draft begging for upside and a league desperate for help on the wing, Williams is the exact type of player NBA teams should be considering among the top-five picks.
