The Utah Jazz starting the season at 5-11 is not a nightmare scenario for them. They may be bound for the lottery, but they're also a fun team to watch. However, 16 games into the season, something is becoming abundantly clear: Taylor Hendricks and Cody Williams simply aren't panning out for them.
Hendricks and Williams were the Jazz's highest picks in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The Jazz drafted both of them knowing that they were both raw prospects who would need time before becoming the players Utah envisioned them to be.
To be fair, they were right to see it that way. Hendricks and Williams were projects from the start, but the Jazz were hoping to see some progress for them, and they haven't seen it. Williams has gotten spot minutes while Hendricks has only just started playing again, and it's even fewer than Williams.
Now, obviously, Hendricks deserves the benefit of the doubt more than Williams does because he is coming off a devastating leg injury that threw off the Jazz's plans for him. While he's 100% recovered physically, it's been discussed before that the psychological recovery takes longer and is much more complex.
Even so, it is surprising that, after Walker Kessler's injury, which leaves a void in the frontcourt, the Jazz have not tried to see what Hendricks could do in Kessler's place. They're not the same player at all, but the Jazz wouldn't have much to lose.
Williams has had his moments - Hendricks too - but this was a season where the Jazz planned to see which of their young players were worth keeping around. The season is about one-fifth over, and Hendricks and Williams being where they are in the Jazz's rotation is very concerning.
Don't worry, there's still time
For obvious reasons, Hendricks definitely deserves leeway. it's very possible that he may not start giving the Jazz legitimate contributions until next season. That is typically how it works when players suffer injuries like his.
Williams has shown more confidence when he plays, but it hasn't been enough for the Jazz to consistently depend on him. Funny enough, Williams has definitely shown improvement defensively, and he could project as a shutdown wing defender with more playing time. If he can just be a plus offensively (or just not a negative), that will get him more minutes.
Plus, it's not like the Jazz are doomed if those two don't pan out in the end. Some of their other younger players are blossoming, Utah is in line to get another high lottery pick from what's expected to be a loaded draft class, and they have plenty of draft picks coming in that could be the players they wanted those two to be.
They're young enough that the Jazz have no reason to give up now, but this is still an unfortunate development.