Being the No. 10 pick in the NBA Draft and the Utah Jazz's highest pick in their rookie class comes with sizable expectations. However, because of the Jazz's talent on the roster, it's not surprising that Williams might be brought along slowly.
And that's pretty much what happened in their opening night loss. In 20 minutes of action, Williams put up two points, both from free throws, and did not put up any field goal attempts. Yup, many goose eggs from Williams outside of four rebounds, and one turnover.
That's why it's hard to grade his NBA debut with the Jazz. There's not much to grade when he didn't really do a whole lot. However, it's not like he was terrible. This all comes down to the fact that the Jazz didn't count on him to do much.
It makes sense why they didn't, and it has nothing to do with him. Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and Keyonte George will have the lion's share of the scoring load. That could change if some trades are made, but Williams might not put up too many points on the board. At least, not right away.
Will this be how Cody Williams' rookie season turns out?
Perhaps this should have been included among the Jazz's realistic expectations. Williamd could be a projecy. He has the look of someone who could be a jack-of-all-trades wing, but that doesn't mean it will immediately translate on the court.
For the time being the Jazz may see him as a connector in their rotation more than anything else. Again, it's not like he was straight-up terrible, but it might not be too shocking if the Jazz have him develop a little in the G-League to make his transition all the easier.
The burden of expectations isn't too big for Williams because the Jazz can afford to have him take all the time he needs. There's no pressure for him to thrive right away. Not everyone is going to be Donovan Mitchell. In fact, even the ones who need more time turn out to be Gordon Hayward.
Williams has the chance to be his own story. Sure, his debut was as inconsequential as debuts get, but luckily in his situation, it'd be ridiculous for anyone to get that mad at him for it.
It's only one game, but it may be a while before the Jazz truly throw the kitchen sink at Williams. But hey, at least we got this (on a dead ball).
didn't take long for us to see the usual cody williams crazy touch shot pic.twitter.com/WegrrcH8nM
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) October 24, 2024
Grade: C