NBA Draft

Cody Williams Scouting Report: From the Lens of Older Brother Jalen Williams

What is Jalen Williams' scouting report for his younger brother who just entered the NBA?
Nicholas Crain|
Jalen and Cody Williams
Jalen and Cody Williams | Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images

On the night of the 2024 NBA Draft, Cody Williams waited to hear his name called with his family. Sitting at his table at Barclays Center during the event was his older brother, Jalen Williams, who is a rising star with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With the No. 10 overall pick, the Utah Jazz took Williams two selections before the Thunder at No. 12, meaning the two brothers wouldn't be teammates -- but would be NBA colleagues nonetheless.

In the days leading up to Cody being drafted by the Jazz, Draft Digest had the chance to speak with him and Jalen about growing up together and their upbringing. This was part of a partnership withSTARRY and Buffalo Wild Wings, celebrating brothers both making it to the NBA.

When asked to give a scouting report of his younger brother, Jalen gave a fantastic answer. This knowledge may come in handy the first time these two play, especially given they'll likely spend quite a bit of time matching up on the court.

“He shoots a ball go from catch-and-shoot. So I wouldn't help too much off of that. He likes to hunt those a lot. Good downhill finisher, so you gotta close out under control as well. He's good playing off the catch, runs out in transition, so no transition buckets. Gotta get back. I'll probably say that one of his best things is being dynamic in the transition. Look at the way the NBA is moving right now. The games are fast. The pacers, for example, put up 145 points pretty regularly. So dynamic transition scorer. So be prepared for that, and then good positional defender as well. So can't be lazy with passes. Likes to jump passing lanes. Usually we call the screening contact guys. Try and keep them out of action. 
Jalen Williams

Jalen's answer was extremely insightful, which isn't surprising given knows Cody's game as well as anyone. He's watched him play his entire life and has seen the development in real-time. While they didn't end up becoming teammates in the NBA, the fact that they're both in the NBA now is a real accomplishment -- but will come with trash talk when they do match up.

When asked on the night of the draft about his first opportunity to match up with Jalen, Cody made sure to give his own take on having a gameplan against his brother. "

"I'm going to make sure I'm matched up against him. Tell Will [Hardy] put me on Dub, that's the gameplan," Cody said.

As the newest set of brothers in the NBA, the Williams' both have the upside to be stars in this league.

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Nick Crain
NICHOLAS CRAIN

Nick is co-founder and lead draft analyst for Draft Digest. A credentialed NBA reporter for over five years, he's covered the league for various outlets including SLAM and Forbes.

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