“In the Williams family, I want Cody.” Jalen's little brother, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's lieutenant at the Thunder, is also arriving in the NBA. If he also plays on the wing, the comparison between Cody Williams and his eldest stops there. The now ex-Colorado player was expected when he left high school, much more than the OKC player. And if the two men share the same remarkable genetic heritage in terms of their stature, Cody is a much less “polished” basketball player than Jalen was when he left Santa Clara.
When the latter had developed three years in the NCAA with the Broncos, Cody Williams took the plunge after a single exercise, which was further truncated by several physical problems (sprained ankle, wrist, fracture of the orbital floor). But the Buffaloes player is the very example of “high risk, high reward”, dear to recruiters. While he is not dominant in one area of the game at this point, Williams has shown snapshots in many areas to be able to weigh in on a meeting.
This Draft where players with high ceilings are not so legion makes the slender winger a rare commodity, and all the more precious. The example of his brother, selected in 12th position by Oklahoma City in 2022 before becoming a physical buffalo and a high-level right arm, can also give some stars in the eyes for teams ready to give time, and a little ball, to Cody Williams.
Profile
Job : winger – back
Size : 1m99
Weight : 81kg
Team : Colorado Buffaloes (NCAA)
Stats 2023/24: 11.9 points (at 55.2%), 3 rebounds, 1.6 assists in 28.1 minutes
Strong points
– The circle attack. Cody Williams is a fluid, elegant and very effective “slasher” (74.1% under the circle) thanks to good body control and quality ball touch. Williams reads defenses well and knows how to offer solutions through his movement without the ball. This is also felt on the counter-attack, where he is frequently finishing or distributing.
– The length. Very slender, Cody Williams impresses above all with his infinite arms, and a wingspan of 2m16, the best of this promotion for positions 2 and 3. And he knows how to use it in particular defensively, in particular on pick-and-rolls where he can switch to the backs as well as the interiors and hold his position.
– Room for progress. Technically, Cody Williams has an honest background, but has given a glimpse of what considerably increases his future prospects. Colorado did not hesitate to play him in a facilitative leader role in sequences thanks to his very correct vision of the game. His outside shot has already taken a leap forward compared to high school (41.5%) but it requires more volume to be confirmed.
Weakness
– The muscles. His body shape makes Williams a graceful basketball player. But his very low weight (nine kilos less than leader Tyler Kolek, seventeen less than Frenchman Pacôme Dadiet on the same position 3) greatly limits him against much stronger, even smaller, opponents on both sides. ground. We will have to be patient, especially since Williams has suffered several injuries this season which have slowed down his progress.
Comparison
At the very least, if he manages to justify his step forward in terms of shooting, Cody Williams can draw inspiration from Jaden McDaniels like very good 3&D holder. Without having elite level quality, he can do a lot of things on the floor and establish himself as one of the most complete players in this Draft.
Prognosis
Second half of the Top 10in an NBA where wingers must be more and more complete, Williams is too intriguing to go down outside of the lottery.
