2024 NBA Draft scouting report: Cody Williams

Cody Williams arrived at Colorado to considerable fanfare. He was a five-star recruit with obvious NBA tools, for one. But he was also the younger brother of burgeoning OKC star Jalen Williams, who quickly ascended the ladder to NBA stardom as a rookie. As J-Dub made his sophomore leap with the Thunder, Cody made his case to scouts on a competitive Buffs team.

It was a rocky freshman season overall for Williams, as he missed six games due to a fractured orbital bone and spent part of the campaign in a mask. He also dealt with an ankle injury down the stretch. Despite an unpolished skill set and moments of extreme youth, however, Williams was impressively productive — and efficient. He averaged 11.6 points and 1.6 assists on .552/.415/.714 splits in 28.4 minutes, comfortably oscillating between various roles for Colorado.

Part point forward, part slasher, part defensive stopper, Willams should appeal to a broad range of teams in the NBA Draft. He will need to convince front offices that he can build on his solid framework and tap into upside beyond his current skill set, but the NBA is always looking for diversely talented wings. Williams' blend of size, burgeoning skill, and athleticism is a potent cocktail in a draft short on quality upside bets.

It certainly doesn't hurt that his brother has already walked this path with tremendous success. J-Dub went to a non-powerhouse school, blossomed late, and come into his own as a do-it-all wing at the next level. Cody is not his brother, and teams shouldn't blindly gamble on shared genes. But, there's nothing wrong with recognizing the parallels and comparing trajectories.

Cody was the more highly touted prospect coming out of high school. Now comes his opportunity to make it large at the next level.

Cody Williams NBA Draft bio

Height: 6-foot-7
Weight: 178 pounds
Birthdate: Nov. 20, 2004
Position: Small Forward
Offensive Role: Slasher, Connective Wing
Defensive Role: Switchable Wing
Projected Draft Range: 5-20

NBA Draft highlights

Strengths

Williams has prototypical physical tools on the wing, standing roughly 6-foot-7 in shoes with a 7-foot-1 wingspan and 8-foot-7 standing reach. He should cover plenty of ground on defense, blessed with elite lateral agility and a strong nose for the ball. He needs to add muscle, but Williams' frame should fill out quickly with NBA strength training.

The NBA is constantly on the lookout for dynamic wings who can create off the dribble, space the floor, and defend multiple positions. Williams will require patience and fine-tuning at the next level, to be clear, but he has such a strong baseline — an airtight foundation on which to build. Even without a crystallized skill set, Williams was immensely efficient for the Buffs, finding ways to score around the basket and hitting the small volume of 3s he did attempt.

Williams has all the touch indicators to be confident about the jumper long term. He needs to speed up the mechanics (and ideally add a pull-up to his repertoire), but Williams buries open looks beyond the arc without issue. At the rim, he kisses shots elegantly off the glass and has a knack for floating in tough runners. As he sharpens his skill set and tightens the screws, it's not hard to project real scoring upside for Williams as a result.

He's not a true point guard, but Williams has viable ball skills on the wing. He loves to grab and go in transition, taking long strides to the rim and expertly mixing speeds on his drives. Williams is quick to get downhill and he keeps his head on a swivel, often rifling impressive skip passes to the open shooter or dumping it off to a ducking big.

It's a real treat to watch Williams create off the bounce. He doesn't have advanced handles, but he can stop-start his way to an advantage before exploding down the lane for a difficult finish. Williams is also comfortable working in the post on occasion, with an appetite for exploiting mismatches. He needs to beef up at the next level, but Williams can put his back to the basket and uncork a gorgeous array of hook shots, spin moves, and scoop layups. It's not common to find players with Williams' intersection of size, athleticism, and touch.

The defense will take time as Williams gets up to speed with NBA schemes and fills out his frame, but he's going to fly around and guard all over the floor. He's quick enough to contain guards at the point of attack and long enough to cause extensive issues as a roamer. Once defenders can no longer plow through his chest, the counting stats and impact metrics should follow suit.

Weaknesses

Well, in the literal sense, Williams is 178 pounds. That is awfully skinny for a 6-foot-7 wing in the NBA. It's not hard to imagine Williams running into trouble as a result. Some of his more physical drives might not translate at the next level. Williams generally finishes below the rim, and while length and touch should buoy his production a fair amount, he needs to get stronger. Bulkier defenders are going to push him around and rookies never get calls, as we well know.

The foundation is strong, but Williams' skill set is still bare-bones and incomplete. He doesn't shoot enough 3s to command consistent respect from NBA defenders. Williams just does not attempt pull-up jumpers either, so defenders can comfortably sag off of drives without sacrificing much. There is optimism rooted in his funky floaters and remarkable touch, but Williams' jumper needs some mechanical tweaks and probably a few years of patience before it's a truly reliable weapon.

Williams struggled with turnovers at Colorado, averaging more cough-ups (2.0) than assists (1.6). That's not ideal for a prospect whose on-ball flashes are considered a big selling point. Some of it goes back to strength. Some of it is related to Williams rudimentary handles. He can fall victim to a high center of gravity, leaving the rock vulnerable to prying arms. He will need to tighten his ball control, learn to better absorb hits en route to the basket, and trim a few careless passes before he's truly the "point forward" more optimistic scouts view him as.

Strength concerns will crop up on the defensive end, too. Williams doesn't exactly crash the glass at a high level (3.0 rebounds in 28.4 minutes) and stronger wings (or even guards) are going to drive right through his chest. Williams' defensive playmaking numbers don't leap off the page either (0.6 steals, 0.7 blocks). He had his moments as a weak-side helper, but until Williams can play with more force to match his effort level and instincts, the defensive impact will be limited.

Final summary

Williams has a fairly wide range in the middle of the first round it seems. He's working out with teams in the mid-lottery, such as Charlotte and Portland, but Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman points to Matas Buzelis, Stephon Castle, Kyshawn George, and Tidjane Salaun as prospects in a comparable vein who could leapfrog the Buffs freshman come June 26.

It helps that Williams has a great reputation in the intangibles department and his brother is a bona fide star in the NBA. Cody is not Jalen, but if the first late-blooming, long and skilled wing thrives at the pro level, that could convince scouts that the younger brother (from a more highly touted high school background) will follow suit.

Cody's draft case is built on his own merits, though. There are valid concerns about the turnovers, rebounding, and defense at 178 pounds, but each category should improve as Williams fills out his frame. That will be a top priority at the next level, same as speeding up his 3-point release and stretching out his scoring range off the dribble.

In the end, Williams' physical tools and touch are a compelling package. He's capable of some truly mesmerizing finishes around the rim, and it's just not common to find 6-foot-7 wings with Williams' blend of athleticism, ball control, and playmaking upside. As he sands the rough edges of his skill set and hones in his strengths, one has to believe Williams has a long NBA career ahead of him.