Cody Williams Declares for NBA Draft, Rockets Draft Prospect?

As a prospect who has the potential of developing into a 3-and-D player for the Houston Rockets, Cody Williams declares for the 2024 NBA Draft.

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets finished the 2023-24 season as a subpar 3-point shooting team. They shot 35.2 percent from behind the arc, finishing the season ranked 23rd. Although general manager Rafael Stone "likes" the roster that went 41-41, improving the Rockets' 3-point shooting should be his top objective when re-tooling the roster for next season. 

Due to the trade that sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in January 2021, the Rockets will have a lottery pick during the 2024 NBA Draft, which Stone could use to improve the team's shooting.

Projected lottery pick Cody Williams could make a significant addition to the Rockets. The 6-foot-8 forward from Colorado announced via social media Monday afternoon that he has declared for the NBA Draft. 

As a member of the Colorado Buffaloes, he averaged 11.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists across 24 games. Although a small sample size, Williams possesses all the attributes that can develop into a prominent 3-and-D player after shooting 41.5 percent from three-point range on nearly two attempts.  

"I like my team. I think potentially, we are just bringing back everyone that we have."#Rockets general manager Rafael Stone believes he has a "complete team." It doesn't seem like the roster will go through many changes this offseason. pic.twitter.com/zOdHTj5ZRy

— Coty M. Davis (@CotyDavis_24) April 16, 2024

"We have to do an evaluation on the whole draft," Stone said on April 15. "Our rule of thumb is if you can get a special player, you get him. Because you can’t control the timing.

"The flip side is we’re excited about our young guys now, and there’s not a source of minutes for anyone coming in. We’ll have to look at it in totality and try and figure out what makes best sense."

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