How bad/good is Cody Williams?

I’ve decided to adopt a positive attitude towards Cody going into the new season hoping and perhaps even expecting a little to see a much improved player. Partly because there are some glimpses here and there but mostly because I’m tired of all the negativity towards him here. He’s had a rough first season, but he’s a young kid and I’ll be rooting for him to make it.

Udidthizz said:

I’ve decided to adopt a positive attitude towards Cody going into the new season hoping and perhaps even expecting a little to see a much improved player. Partly because there are some glimpses here and there but mostly because I’m tired of all the negativity towards him here. He’s had a rough first season, but he’s a young kid and I’ll be rooting for him to make it.

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I like your attitude. Last season brought the worst out of many of us but its just a part of rooting for a bad team.

I remember two years ago when I went to read Clutchfans (Rockets fan board) it was absolutely littered with toxic and dooming posters who declared the FO has ran the team to the ground by making bad decissions everywhere, including drafting like ****. I bet the air is much different there right now.

This morning my internet browser had a story about Boogie Cousins getting ejected from a Puerto Rican League game. In the story there are quite a few Jazz alums playing in the league. Emmanuel Mudiay is the leading scorer and fifth in assists in the league. Hassan Whiteside is the second leading rebounder and leading shotblocker and Miye Oni leads the league in assists. Other guys that have passed through Salt Lake and playing in this league include Chris Duarte, Bryce Cotton, Ian Clark and Parris Bass. The shudder that hit me are these NBA rejects currently better players and prospects for the future than our vaunted draft classes the past three years? This might partially explain the front office shakeup.

homeytennis said:

This morning my internet browser had a story about Boogie Cousins getting ejected from a Puerto Rican League game. In the story there are quite a few Jazz alums playing in the league. Emmanuel Mudiay is the leading scorer and fifth in assists in the league. Hassan Whiteside is the second leading rebounder and leading shotblocker and Miye Oni leads the league in assists. Other guys that have passed through Salt Lake and playing in this league include Chris Duarte, Bryce Cotton, Ian Clark and Parris Bass. The shudder that hit me are these NBA rejects currently better players and prospects for the future than our vaunted draft classes the past three years? This might partially explain the front office shakeup.

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man, chris duarte - a quick fall from "grace" after a promising start to his nba career. drafted in the lottery, started half the games as a rookie, averaging 13 ppg on 43/37/80 shooting splits and within 4 years is out of the league and playing in puerto rico. yikes.

Lots of people will regret their takes in this thread.

jazznik said:

Lots of people will regret their takes in this thread.

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That's true whatever the subject.

I'm ready to die on the "Cody is a bust" hill, though.

Tremendous Upside said:

That's true whatever the subject.

I'm ready to die on the "Cody is a bust" hill, though.

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Well, get your affairs in order cuz you dyin there.

I still believe.

Here's what I think happened with Cody last year. It was an unfortunate combination of circumstances:

1) Cody wasn't physically ready for the NBA. He was getting pushed around, wasn't able to keep his line, had a hard time keeping control of the ball, had a hard time rebounding, etc. due to a lack of strength. He needs to put serious work in on his body and adjusting to the physicality of the NBA. Showing up at 178 lbs instead of 190 lbs set him back another year, basically.

2) Cody can only score in certain situations, and those aren't the situations that the Jazz want to put him in. For example, Cody is comfortable with an 18-ft jumper above the foul line. He's comfortable with drives where he gets all the way to the rim or can finish with a short floater. He's not going to get those opportunities for a while.

3) The combination of the above made him historically ineffective and passive on offense. Cody would go several minutes and multiple possessions without touching the ball. For a guy who is used to having the ball and making decisions, he didn't get rhythm or confidence. Coaches would occasionally feed him an opportunity or two coming out of halftime where he had been shooting and warming up.

The Good News, if there is any...

1) If Cody can improve his body--strength, stamina, burst, etc.--he can still become an NBA athlete in another year or two.

2) If Cody learns to score from where the coaches want him to be on the floor--e.g., the NBA 3pt line, further out on his floaters, angle midrange off the dribble--he can still contribute offensively, along with a few of his slippery drives to the rim. Presumably, Cody has been taking a ton of shots everyday.

3) Cody moves really well defensively and can track 2s and 3s. He also sees the floor and makes good passes at game speed. His problem with staying engaged can be solved by improving his body and improving his shooting from where the Jazz want him on the floor. He's going to need to make himself a role player in the mold of Jaden McDaniels, who incidentally also took a few years to become a solid contributor.