Cody Williams following path of Hawks star would be a home run for the Jazz

The narrative about Cody Williams has gone from "He's completely hopeless" to "Hey, he's actually doing some stuff" to "Wow, he actually might be good!" Williams has certainly faced plenty of skepticism with the Utah Jazz, but now, after recently expanding his role, the team is seeing some results.

Williams may not have the trajectory to be a star, but at this stage, he doesn't have to be. He can be a star in his own way, and the Jazz saw the kind of player he can be through their opponent tonight. In their close loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Williams glimpse of playing like one of the Hawks' most important players: Dyson Daniels.

Daniels isn't a star either. In fact, he probably never will be, but he is one of the best defender in the NBA who doesn't have the best offensive game (he's been putrid shooting from deep this year), but can still be impactful in his own way. Williams can be that same player.

The Jazz sophomore finished with three blocks and a steal, demonstrating the kind of defender he is becoming in Utah.

Williams is blossoming into perhaps the Jazz's best wing defender, a VERY fortunate development following the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade and the return of Walker Kessler. Utah will need all hands on deck for them to become a contender in the Western Conference, meaning they need defensively stout personnel.

For all of the things Williams isn't (at least for now), he has shown what he brings on that defensive side of the floor. Going forward, the real question will be how he pans out offensively.

Williams' offense has to round out at 'just okay'

Williams' offensive efficiency has actually improved tenfold for the Jazz in Year 2. That's primarily because he's gotten better as a cutter.

Still though, going from shooting 32.3% from the field to 48.7% is absolutely nothing to sneeze at. The three-point percentage is nothing to write home about, as it's actually gotten worse, but again, that's what Daniels brings to the Hawks.

Despite being much worse as floor spacer this season, Atlanta still counts on Daniels because of what he provides for them. He'll never be a Kyle Korver or even come close, and it's likely Williams won't either, but he's proven himself so useful that the Hawks are more than happy to stomach it.

If that's the player that Williams becomes, the Jazz not only hit a home run, but they made good use out of the No. 10 pick in a weak draft. Not bad for someone who many gave up on before his second season even started.