Cody Williams 2024 NBA Draft Profile
The 2024 NBA Draft is a unique draft class with some interesting talents slated toward the top of the draft. That includes Colorado forward Cody Williams. Let’s dive into Williams’ 2024 NBA Draft Profile and discuss how his skills project to the NBA.
Height: 6’6.5″ (7’1″ wingspan, 8’7″ standing reach)
Weight: 178
Draft Age: 19.58
Position: Small Forward
Williams is the younger brother of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams. That has helped Williams gain hype as a prospect. Thankfully, he is a skilled prospect that deserves the recognition he is getting.
Williams is a native of Gilbert, Arizona where he played basketball at Perry High School. As a recruit, he was labeled a five-star and was the No. 7 ranked player in the 2023 recruiting class.
In just one season with the Buffaloes, Williams averaged 11.9 points, 3 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 55.2% from the field and 41.5% from three. On the defensive end, he added 0.6 steals and 0.7 blocks.
It is worth noting Williams played through several injuries during his freshman campaign. The forward was sidelined on different occasions with an ankle, wrist, and orbital injury. That certainly did not help him adapt to the college game. Still, that does not absolve every weakness he showed on the court.
Strengths:
The standout skill in Cody Williams’ 2024 NBA Draft stock is his length. The height and weight combination gives him serious potential as a wing defender. In college, Williams was a solid defender. The number of high-impact plays was limited, but he was a challenge for wing creators. In an ideal world, Williams grows on the defensive side of the ball and uses his length to create turnovers. At 19, he has certainly not peaked in that category.
Williams has a wide range of outcomes on the offensive side of the ball. At a minimum, his ability as a connective piece in an offense is appealing. Williams has a good handle and has shown promise as a playmaker. In a cohesive offense, he can attack the basket and decide to attack the rim or hit a kick out. In a limited sample size, he also made good plays as a pick-and-roll ball handler.
These skills can also allow Williams to attack in transition. The skills to bring the ball up the court and make the proper pass is present.
In college, a good portion of Williams’ offense came at the rim. This was for a variety of reasons. The most obvious is that his best examples of self-creation came on drives. Williams can get to the paint and he finishes well. On top of that, he is a strong cutter. Williams has good timing on cuts and guards often found him heading to the rim. This package of creation and cutting paired with efficient finishing helped him get points in the paint.
Williams also has a good amount of potential. A theoretical combination of self-creation, shooting, playmaking, versatility, and length would make Williams a great player. Theoretical is the key aspect of this as he needs to improve his self-creation and shooting to hit his top outcome. That said, the potential is intriguing. Ultimately, a higher-end outcome for Williams is that he becomes a low-end number two option on a playoff team. A more realistic outcome is that he becomes a rational piece on a quality team.
Weaknesses:
Williams brings his fair share of weaknesses into the 2024 NFL Draft. That begins with his strength. Williams is only 180 pounds and struggles against stronger matchups. On the defensive side, it hampers his abilities against bigger guards and limits his potential positional flexibility. It also hurts his offensive upside as contact around the rim can make his shots more difficult. Considering his finishing around the rim, additional strength would be beneficial as it would help develop his post-game.
The biggest swing skill in Williams’ game is his three-point shooting. In theory, his 41.5 percent mark from deep is impressive. The bigger issue is that Williams has historically not been a great shooter and his college sample size was small (41 total attempts). If he can become a solid catch-and-shoot threat, he can be a great piece for a playoff team. It should not be viewed as a guarantee, however.
Williams needs to become a better rebounder. It is not inspiring that he only averaged three boards per game in college. At his size, he should be able to help get rebounds. In addition, his ability to bring the ball up in transition and make the right pass could turn his rebounds into points. That is an untapped area in his skill set that would benefit NBA teams.
Lastly, Williams is not an outstanding athlete. At the combine, he logged a 31-inch standing reach and a 35.5-inch max vertical reach. That placed him in the middle of the pack. In a perfect world, more athleticism would help him reach his top potential. Still, it should not hinder his ability to be a solid player.
Projection: Mid to Late Lottery
Cody Williams has a fairly wide range of outcomes as a prospect and that could be reflected in where he is selected during the 2024 NBA Draft. It is also reflective of the draft as a whole. This is a type of draft where a good portion of players sit in the same tier. That can lead to players falling and dropping more than expected. In terms of Williams specifically, a team could fall in love with his potential and push him up the board.
On draft night, the ceiling for Williams begins with the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons need wings and may find him as their favorite. The Oklahoma City Thunder, who hold the No. 12 pick, are a reasonable floor. Oklahoma City is a place where he could become an immediate role player or head to the G-Leauge for more development. If he gets past the Thunder, he will be the best player available until he is selected. The most realistic outcome is that he lands in the seven to ten window.
Williams is worthy of a top-ten selection in this year’s draft. His strong potential paired with a floor that makes him a solid rotational piece should make him an appealing player in a weaker draft class.
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