The Utah Jazz were right on the money when they drafted Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski. Collier has been so good that he's on track to break a record held by John Stockton. Filipowski has been so good that the Jazz have been urged to give him a bigger role going forward.
Given where the Jazz picked them last year, their production has overshadowed Cody Williams's disappointing rookie year. The Jazz have given Williams chances throughout the season, but he still looks quite raw even all these months later.
He's had an occasional "outburst," but a solid game every here and there gets badly outweighed by the many games where he doesn't do much. His NBA career has not started well, and what makes it worse is that he was the Jazz's lone lottery pick last year. If things don't look bad enough, players picked after him have outshined him.
The Salt Lake Tribune's Andy Larsen harped on Williams' struggles, specifically during the Jazz's game against the Bulls on March 17.
"Narratively, this was an important game for Cody Williams. This year’s No. 11 pick, Matas Buzelis, was coming in playing well for Chicago, and Williams had the chance to show that the Jazz made a reasonable choice in picking Williams first at No. 10.
"And instead, Williams really floundered. He finished with five points, three rebounds, and two assists, shooting just 2-8 from the field while adding three turnovers (Buzelis, meanwhile, put up 17 points, nine rebounds, and two assists.)" Larsen wrote.
If that's not bad enough, Buzelis, who didn't start his rookie season too great, has started coming along over the past few months. Just look at his game log. Buzelis may not necessarily be a star in the making, but when the Bulls gave him a bigger role, he rewarded their faith in him.
Williams' lack of progression, Collier and Filipowski coming along nicely, and players from the same class like Buzelis looking much better all culminate in the harsh reality that Williams' rookie year has been a disaster. The Jazz probably knew ahead of the former No. 10 pick would need time, but they likely wanted to see his production evolve like Buzelis' has.
Is Williams out of time to prove himself? Of course not. Lucky for him, the Jazz are one of the few teams that are more than happy to let him take his time to figure out his niche in the NBA. As far as starts to rookie years go, it's hard to think it couldn't be worse for Williams.
Larsen mentioned that the Jazz believe in Williams, which is why they'll play the long game with him for the next few years. There's still a good chance he will be the best player in the Jazz's 2024 draft class. However, his rookie performance also indicates there's a good chance he could be the worst.
The twist here is that Williams not working out in the end isn't the end of the world.
Nobody gets it right on every single draft pick
Williams' underwhelming rookie season will make him a Jazz player that fans will see as a glass that's either half-empty or half-full. The pessimists will point out his poor numbers, while his optimists will point out that he needs time to fill out.
The jury's still out on Williams' future and they may not come back for a while, but there is a scenario where he may not amount to much. While many would hold that against the Jazz's front office, the truth is not every pick works out. Particularly in a draft featuring one of the least exciting classes in recent memory.
Even if Williams doesn't amount to much, the Jazz still came away with Collier and Filipowski, who look like they are part of the Jazz's future. It would be great if Williams will be right there with them, but he hasn't played close to their level yet, and with how things have started for him, no one knows if he ever will.