NBA Comparison: Lamar Odom/Brandon Ingram

Strengths: Williams is a slim 6’8 180 wing with a great length (7’1 wingspan) and gliding-type athleticism … A long strider who covers ground in big swoops and runs the floor very well, making him a real threat in transition where he currently looks his best offensively (12 PPG with an impressive 55 FG%) … Really shined converting in close with a head of steam as a Fr., and can slash and finish with either hand with some decent ability to play above the rim for good measure (59 FG% inside the arc) … Nice body control; uses his sleek frame to slip and contort into tight spaces and attack unorthodox angles in the paint … Comfortable at the point of attack offensively and displays good ball-handling skills … Developing the feel & ability to create offense using ball screens in either direction; showed some flashes of potential in these situations … Adequate touch; utilized runners and floaters in the mid range area when he couldn’t get all the way to the rim with pretty good success … Has the height and length to shoot over smaller players on the perimeter … Found success as a spot-up shooter this past season, albeit on limited attempts (41.5 3FG% on 41 3FGA) and has range to pose a threat from 3 … Displays concise shot selection and doesn’t overly hunt for his own offense much … Possesses a high release and shows some awareness by finding open spots along the 3-point line when the defense collapses on dribble drives … Plenty of tools to utilize on the defensive end as well; has the height, length, and footwork to be a versatile defender as he grows physically and mentally … Doesn’t have eye popping assist numbers (1.6 APG) but is a willing passer …Very important to note that he dealt with various injuries and wasn’t nearly 100% healthy throughout the majority of his freshman season and particularly down the stretch … Could be just scratching the surface of his ability on both ends of the court … Played point guard in high school and has point forward potential for the next level …

Weaknesses: Adding more muscle to his 180 lb frame would help considerably; possibly has more to gain athletically if he strengthens his lower body … A decent athlete with build-up speed, but isn’t particularly statically explosive which shows itself more in half-court situations … Against set defenses he doesn’t typically create a ton of space off the bounce without the help of a ball screen, showing mediocre creativity and 1st step quickness … Not a natural scorerNice efficiency stats, but straddles the line of judicious and hesitant shot selection too closely at times; had plenty of moments when he was a phantom on the court, particularly in big games … Had other talented teammates to share the rock with but could’ve stood to be a bit more aggressive last year; 13 FG attempts is the most shots he took in any game as a Fr … Was solid in his limited open spot-up shots from deep, but shoots more of a set shot and his average shot release quickness explains why he doesn’t try many traditional pull-up jumpers of any variety in the mid-range when chased off the line…Not particularly physical, and it shows in his propensity to avoid contact oppose to playing through it on both ends as well as in his meager rebounding numbers for a 6’8 player (3 RPG) … The idea of his upside as a defender is better than where he is right now; sometimes can struggle to contain dribble penetration due to a somewhat high center of gravity which led to some cheap reaching fouls (2 FPG) … Also wasn’t didn’t force as many turnovers or shot alterations as you’d expect with his length and athleticism (15 steals & 16 blocks 24 games as a Fr.) … Durability questions are fair as of now, due to his thin frame and nagging injuries this season … Concerns exist surrounding his competitive fire and determination, but it’s fair to point out that his freshman numbers trump his NBA standout brother jalen Williams’ sophomore season numbers playing in a Power 5 vs Mid Major …

Overall: Cody Williams was a prized recruit out of Arizona who emerged as a 5-star prospect around the end of his Jr year of HS, later becoming the 1st 5-star recruiting commit in Colorado basketball history … After a busy summer on the HS All-Star circuit and being on Team USA for Hoop Summit before enrolling in college, he built up enough buzz to enter the 2023-2024 NCAA season mocked by numerous outlets as a top 5 pick for this years draft … He had some decent production on a Colorado team advanced to the Round of 32 and featured some experienced starters (and noteworthy NBA prospects in their own right in KJ Simpson and Tristen De Silva), operating as a complimentary scoring option to his older teammates … He didn’t really quite seem to be in a consistent rhythm though, dealing with an injury bug that caused him to miss 13 games and parts of others dealing with ankle & wrist problems, as well as a facial injury that required him to wear a mask  … Those injuries took their toll on him, particularly down the stretch of the season, as he clearly seemed less effective during the teams Pac 12 & NCAA tournament games … Still, he showed potential on both ends of the court and maintained nice efficiency all season … There’s alot to like about Williams in transition and in the paint, where his touch and length are both assets on the move … He also has the tools to defend anywhere on the perimeter as he gains experience … He needs to get stronger, more assertive & be willing to play physical, especially in halfcourt offense, but he can contribute by continuing to make instinctive cuts to the rim and by filling lanes on the wing for open jumpers with sporadic shot creation off the bounce … Williams is projected to be selected in the lottery with a chance to go as high as 4th to San Antonio …

Notes: Measured 6′ 6.50” barefoot, 8′ 7.00” standing reach, 178.4 lbs and a 7′ 1.00” wingspan and a 31 inch standing vertical and 35.5 maximum vertical at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine …

Jorrye Nixon 6/5/24