Cody Williams' monster Summer League performance is more encouraging than you think

When the Summer League started, Utah Jazz fans only shook their heads when they heard the name Cody Williams. When the Summer League ended, those same fans are now nodding their heads when they hear the name Cody Williams. Williams had an excellent Summer League performance in 2025, which is more encouraging than fans think, as he was significantly worse last year.

When it was all said and done, Williams averaged 20.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.2 steals a game while shooting 46.3% from the field and 34.2% from three. Perhaps what's most encouraging though is that his numbers didn't come from one or two extremely good performances to go with a couple of performances that ranged from bad to "meh."

Nope, all of his performances were good, and it didn't matter who was on the court at the same time as him. Williams consistently played very well, even though there are still warts in his game.

This was not the case last year. His numbers from last year's Summer League don't look too shabby, as he put up 15 points, three rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 0.3 steals while shooting 54.8% from the field and 37.5% from three. However, The Athletic's Tony Jones pointed out that those numbers came mostly from one good performance on Williams' end.

That's not even a take. It's actually true. Williams had one good performance against the Dallas Mavericks during the 2024 Summer League. Only one.

But other than that, Williams' other performances in 2024 were pretty unremarkable. In only one other game did it look like he actually did something.

But that wasn't the case this time. Williams' numbers stemmed from consistency, which came from his confidence and aggression that the Jazz haven't seen from him until now. Perhaps Williams's lack of confidence should have been a telling sign of how poorly his rookie season was going to go, just like his newfound confidence is a telling sign his sophomore year will be much better.

Whenever someone stands out in Summer League, fans are right to take their performances with a big grain of salt. However, in Williams' case, he needed to put on a performance like this to give Jazz fans any modicum of hope for his career. Because he did, he's no longer being written off.

Williams may compete for a starting job

Utah gave Williams plenty of opportunities to find himself his rookie season, and he failed to take advantage. It got so bad that he was sent down to the Salt Lake City Stars multiple times. With his newfound confidence, Williams could be up for a spot in the Jazz's starting lineup.

Williams projects to be an oversized playmaker, which could make him a dangerous starter if he continues to figure things out. With Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson out of the picture, that opens up the opportunity for Williams to compete for a starting spot with Isaiah Collier, Walter Clayton Jr., and Keyonte George.

It definitely won't be handed to him, but Williams finally showed he could be the player Utah had in mind when the team drafted him last year. He's still got a ways to go, but he is on a team that is willing to be patient with his development.

Before Summer League started, everyone would have laughed at the possibility of Williams being up for a starting gig. That's how bad he was in his first NBA season, but now, he played well enough that it could very well be on the table.

Typically, fans shouldn't read too much into Summer League, but because of how badly his NBA career started, they absolutely should read into Cody Williams' performance over the past week.