Several players on the Utah Jazz's Summer League made themselves stand out. It started with Brice Sensabaugh, then it became Ace Bailey, then Kyle Filipowski, and finally, most heartwarmingly, it was Cody Williams. While Williams had a much better Summer League than he did last year, what gave fans hope in him again was his stronger frame.
Sam Vecenie harped on this on "The Game Theory Podcast," where he singled out Williams' performance while also making it clear that what stood out the most about him was his bigger frame.
"I thought he was awesome in Vegas. I thought he was genuinely really, really good," Vecenie said. "...Frankly, he just looked bigger... He just wasn't physically ready to play in the NBA last year, and that's okay. I knew that when they drafted him, he was a project. I think Utah knew when they drafted him, he was a project, but he looked stronger.
"He doesn't look totally like an NBA player yet, but his arms looked bigger. I thought he looked stronger and thicker through his chest... just continuing to add and continuing to get stronger and more physical, that's gonna make the difference for him, and we have already started to see it at Summer League that that is making the difference for him."
Anyone who watched Williams live will tell you that he was a beanpole. While that is typical of NBA players when they first come into the league, Williams definitely stood out among skinny NBA rookies. Part of making it in the NBA is having the right frame to do it. If players don't add muscle, they get tossed around like a rag doll.
For everything that went wrong for Williams his rookie year - Note that everything went wrong his rookie year - it's a great sign that he was aware of what needed to be worked on and is making the effort to take another step forward.
Williams isn't out of the woods, but he's on the right track
For Williams to inspire any hope for his career going forward, he had to look good in Summer League, and he not only met that expectation, but he exceeded it. He looked so much better out there. He looked aggressive and decisive. It's clear that he has more confidence now than he did his rookie year.
That's a very good sign along with his more muscular frame. The next challenge is proving he can keep this up next season. Because the Jazz are expected to be terrible again, they will give Williams chances to prove himself.
It might be expecting a little too much for him to be a starter out of the gate, but if he continues to build on his Summer League performance, maybe he can be a starter down the line. There is so much to be excited about when it comes to the player Williams could be, so if he reaches that ceiling, he could be a huge cog in Utah's future.
But first, he has to show that he can at least play at an NBA level.