Utah Jazz See Encouraging Growth From Cody Williams

Throughout the Utah Jazz's season of development and the growth surrounding a handful of their young players, one name on the roster who's managed to see some positive steps in the right direction is second year wing Cody Williams.

In 49 games in his sophomore campaign, Williams' stats might not jump off the page with just 5.9 points and 2.5 rebounds a game. But after a rocky rookie season that even went as far as putting his NBA future in jeopardy, the second-year Jazz wing has turned things around to not only become much more efficient offensively (47.7% FG), but also turning a corner on the defensive end as well.

That production as of late has clearly embedded in a bit more confidence from his head coach, Will Hardy, on a nightly basis as well, who spoke highly of Williams following the Jazz's latest game against the Washington Wizards; one where he logged a career-high five assists in the process.

"I think Cody [Williams] is doing a good job of taking the game as it comes to him, making simple plays over and over again," Hardy said. "Cody knows that his biggest impact as it relates to winning is going to be on the defensive side of the ball right now, and offensively, I think his skillset is allowing him to play with a bunch of different groups."

"He's doing a good job with his spacing. He's become a really good cutter, making quick decisions on close outs driving the ball. I think he's settled into what his current role is.”

Will Hardy Seeing Great Progress From Cody Williams

Williams' year two production is proof that you simply can't write off a player after a bumpy rookie season; and especially not for a guy like Williams who came into the league well-known to be a project-type of player who would need ample in-game experience, as well as grow into his NBA body to become a real two-way threat he's had the ceiling of becoming.

Now that Williams has gotten time for both to develop, you're starting to see the fruits of that labor pay off.

Feb 28, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) warms up before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images | Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

He's offering defensive upside that the Jazz need in their lineup as they're ranked at the bottom of the NBA in terms of defensive rating, and with further confidence and efficiency on the offensive end, it offers even more incentive to give Williams more minutes––leading to him starting in all but seven games since the start of the 2026 calendar year.

And in the final month-plus of the Jazz's schedule, Williams will have even more opportunity to get even more comfortable with more playing time before embarking on what will be year three headed into next NBA season.

As long as Williams can keep showing signs of being a high-end perimeter defender, paired with growth on the offensive end to be a strong cutter and floor spacer, there's no reason to believe that he can't be a long-term connecting piece on the wing for the Jazz, and a part of their next playoff roster, perhaps as soon as 2026-27.