Kyle Filipowski Praises One Notable Utah Jazz Standout

The Utah Jazz's biggest standout in Las Vegas has undoubtedly been second-year big man Kyle Filipowski, the league's scoring leader through three games (29.3 points per game) and a potential Summer League MVP candidate who's been extremely impressive on the offensive end for the Jazz–– so much so that he's even been pulled out of the action after his 35-point explosion on Monday vs. the San Antonio Spurs.

However, another name on the Jazz's roster who's been standing out amongst the crowd has been second-year forward Cody Williams, who's had a few slow starts during his three outings in Vegas, but has continuously finished strong, aggressively, and impressively as one of Utah's better performers across the past week.

Williams landed a bit of praise from his standout teammate in Filipowski after a successful summer league so far, as the second-year big praised Williams' aggressiveness and hard work through the offseason, that's been shown throughout his play in Vegas.

"He was aggressive... He's been working super hard. You can just see it with his body, number one, but just working out with him this whole summer, I've been able to tell how hard he's worked. I was even telling him, and some of the other guys were telling him, 'Just keep being aggressive, stop second-guessing yourself, you're a great player'... So, I just think keeping that confidence in him was important."

Jul 14, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) drives the ball against San Antonio Spurs guard Harrison Ingram (55) during the first half of a NBA basketball game at the Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

In three games, Williams has averaged 17.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists on just over 28 minutes a night. Efficiency-wise, he's still had some turbulence, shooting 40.8% from the field and 22.7% from three, but in terms of his progression from his rookie season, the Colorado product has developed at both a strong and effective rate.

A lot of that progression can be attributed to that aforementioned aggressiveness Filipowski noted about Williams, as Williams himself not only made it an emphasis heading into summer league that aggressiveness was a main focus, but when watching his play on the floor, it's clear he's playing with an eye to score and being a bigger playmaker with the ball in his hands.

His physical changes have helped his growth on the floor in a big way as well. Williams has spent a ton of time during the season and this offseason putting on weight and working in the weight room to help get his body to a better NBA-level standard, and three games in, those adjustments have worked pretty well in his favor.

Cody Williams #TakeNote

Hit The Music. pic.twitter.com/0DXzFfbRlH
— Tyler Rucker (@tyler_rucker) July 14, 2025

For Williams, it'll be a statement second season in the league after his first was filled with trial and error, and in the mind of Filipowski, he's clearly made positive strides to making that aspired jump happen.

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