Why It's Not Time for Jazz to Give Up on Cody Williams Just Yet

It's been a less-than-ideal start to Cody Williams' career in a Utah Jazz uniform.

His rookie season was about as poor as you could imagine. He couldn't find a solid role on the defensive end, and his offensive numbers were even worse.

In year two, he started to improve towards the second half of the year, but still had a rocky start and reverted back to some of those uninspiring tendencies in his most recent summer league performance earlier this offseason.

Stock is down as it relates to Cody Williams right now. There’s no doubt. And as he enters the third year of his NBA career as the Jazz are looking to turn into a winning team for the first time since 2021-22, it could mark a bit of a crossroads for Utah and their 2024 lottery pick surrounding whether or not he can be a key piece of their future endeavors.

But now is not the time to sell all of your Williams stock. Not yet. Maybe once getting to the end of the 2026-27 season, and things haven't changed as it relates to his development, that's a different conversation. However, there's still more than enough time for Williams to shift the narrative about himself before it's too late.

Why It's Too Early to Sell Your Cody Williams Stock

For one, it's not like Williams hasn't shown any resemblance of improvement throughout his two seasons in Utah. Once he was able to get a bigger workload and share of minutes after the All-Star break this past season, he started to put things together pretty consistently.

After the All-Star break, Williams jumped to over 32 minutes a game and averaged a statline of 13.6-4.0-3.9 shooting over 45% from the field with solid defense.

He still struggled as a three-point shooter–– failing to eclipse 20% from deep–– but overall, he certainly performed a step above what he had been used to earlier in the year.

It was always known that Williams was going to be a project of sorts. He was averaging less than 12 points per game during his one season at Colorado, was far from a high-usage player, and physically, wasn't close to what he needed to be to reach his ceiling as an impactful 3&D wing at the next level.

Mar 11, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) makes a quick pass around New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Williams is still growing into that mold that the Jazz drafted him to be. He hasn't even turned 22 years old, hasn't exactly bulked up into a complete NBA body, and needs time to work with before he's able to not only be up to par as a physical defender, but also continue to refine his offensive game as a threat from deep.

Williams has already progressed nicely in a select few areas of his game to inspire a bit of confidence for other aspects that need to be improved.

He's vastly improved as a cutter to allow him to be a much better threat on the offensive end, and has done the same as a secondary playmaker in the halfcourt, which is shown through his nearly four assists a night after the All-Star break.

Bottom Line

Not all progression is linear, and Williams is a prime example of that. His rookie season was far from perfect, but he had shown signs of life in year two. Once getting into year three, there's a good chance he'll be able to be even better from when he was last on the floor.

So don't let a dreary summer league performance sway you on what's ahead for Williams. There's still hope to be had for his NBA future and time with the Jazz, and he has more than enough time to turn things around in 2026-27. Just give him a little patience.

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