All things Cody Williams

[Natebishop3]

This is an older video but I love his analysis.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

Height w/o shoes 6'6.5
Age 19.6
Weight 178.4
Standing Reach 8'7.0
Wingspan 7'1.0'

 

[SharpesTriumph]

For comparison Sharpe two years ago;
Standing Reach 8'7.5 (Sharpe 0.5" higher)
Wingspan 6'11.5 (Cody 1.5" longer)

 

[Pinwheel1]

You have to love how his variety of floaters and his use of the glass. (with both hands)
That and his 3 ball (and pull jumper) make me think he will be a very good offensive player despite not being as explosive as his brother.

 

[Whyachi]

here's what i'm hoping

draft bpa #7

slap that #31 on #14 and move up to get Cody Williams at #10 (pending where Cody lands)

 

[MickZagger]

If Williams is there you take him. I’ve felt he’s the guy they’ve been angling for awhile. Plus there’s the Colorado connection.

 

[MrDraftGuy]

Highlights (watch him blow past defenders and move in transition - that's 75% FG at the rim, just needs to tighten handles and develop moves so he can utilize a pull-up jumper...the muscle will come later):




Then, here are NBA Combine interview videos with him. He just seems like such a smart kid with a good head on his shoulders, humble and communicative:





Like his brother, this is the kind of guy who will show up, study film, work on his weaknesses, and treat the NBA like a professional career as his priority. Their parents were Air Force Academy athletes and instilled military and collegiate athletics style discipline in them from an early age.

I understand some people want an "alpha" or a "tough guy" but that's probably going to be a player found in 2025-2027. For now, you want a highly skilled player like this next to Sharpe (the 2-3 combo being a historically deadly one) and to communicate with the coach.

 

[Natebishop3]

Highlights (watch him blow past defenders and move in transition - that's 75% FG at the rim, just needs to tighten handles and develop moves so he can utilize a pull-up jumper...the muscle will come later):




Then, here are NBA Combine interview videos with him. He just seems like such a smart kid with a good head on his shoulders, humble and communicative:





Like his brother, this is the kind of guy who will show up, study film, work on his weaknesses, and treat the NBA like a professional career as his priority. Their parents were Air Force Academy athletes and instilled military and collegiate athletics style discipline in them from an early age.

I understand some people want an "alpha" or a "tough guy" but that's probably going to be a player found in 2025-2027. For now, you want a highly skilled player like this next to Sharpe (the 2-3 combo being a historically deadly one) and to communicate with the coach.

Im not at all expecting an alpha from this draft. Im just hoping for a decent player. Would love to add some shooting.

 

[Everything Beagle]

Reminds me of Darius Miles. If you get his game with a good brain attached, that's a good value.

 

[MrDraftGuy]

Im not at all expecting an alpha from this draft. Im just hoping for a decent player. Would love to add some shooting.

Since his 3pt shooting is 40%+, even on limited attempts, it should be passable in the NBA. People don't understand that the context of Cody Williams 'passiveness' and low attempts are moreso due to him being a good shot selector (he seeks high percentage shots) and his ball handling not being tight enough just yet to create those shots. He's has a natural feel that he's still trying to fully understand. Otherwise, he's over 50% from 2 and 40% from 3, with sweet spots of 75% at the rim, 71% at the right baseline, 70%+ eFG on catch and shoots. Then, he's elite in transition, with or without the ball.

Things like this make him different from, say, a Cam Reddish that is inefficient and can't do much without the ball. Essentially, he's made to defer and to work with teammates as a baseline but also has the potential to reach All-Star tier due to having reliable methods at three levels and having two way potential.

Then, I wouldn't worry too much about FT%. Toolsy wings that can handle the ball a bit and play defense have their FT% jump up by 10-15+% once they get thousands of reps in on a more routine basis than they did in college.

That's whether they're Jaden McDaniels/Harrison Barnes/Otto Porter/OG/De'Ande Hunter tier or a Kawhi Leonard/Paul George/Scottie Barnes/KD tier player. All the lengthy, skilled wings jump in terms of FT%.

Reminds me of Darius Miles. If you get his game with a good brain attached, that's a good value.

Glad I'm not the only one who saw that. Yes, that was one of my comps for him.

De'Andre Hunter/Darius Miles hybrid but with better IQ as a floor (well, more like a step above the floor, floor is probably more like Otto Porter/Nic Batum hybrid). Otherwise, a more advanced Jerami Grant - cuts, 3s, transition, exploiting defensive weaknesses, on ball defense, ball handling capability - as a median due to him being further ahead than Grant was at the same age and due to him having point forward skills (Grant can suffer from tunnel vision while Cody has above average vision backed by a good IQ).

 

[beast blazer]

I think he'll be a good role player, he reminds me of Nic Batum.. I like efficient role players that don't force up bad shots. One of the Blazers biggest weakness is their role players have been well below average in efficiency.

He also has upside of course. Someone who is that size and has shooting/ball handling skill is not a dime a dozen.

If we were to take him, I'd like to see us trade Grant and Brogdon, and go all in on the youth movement.

 

[Natebishop3]

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Just can't tell if this guy is Patrick Williams or Jayson Tatum.

 

[Natebishop3]

Just can't tell if this guy is Patrick Williams or Jayson Tatum.

That's the gamble that you take at 7th.

 

[HoopsFanAZ]

He’s 2 years and 20 lbs away from knowing (better) what he will be. The flashes can be expected next season. Salaun is in a different boat — raw but ‘toolsy’.

 

[MrDraftGuy]

Just can't tell if this guy is Patrick Williams or Jayson Tatum.

I'd say closer to Tatum but obviously unlikely to reach Tatum, offensively.

Cody has more tools than Patrick Williams. Higher IQ. Better vision. Slightly lengthier. Not as strong or athletic and smaller hand size but can shoot and has certain spots that he can get to and hit at a decent clip. Utilizes deceptive quickness more.

Patrick was always meant to be more Gerald Wallace/Rudy Gay-like and in that way, is much closer to Ron Holland as a prospect (but imo, Holland is still more dynamic).

When you watch the way Patrick played in college, he just drove to the rim, using his body to attack in linear motion. It wasn't fluid and the body control was limited. He wasn't taking extra steps and angling his body so that he can agilely maneuver past defenders or switch the ball between hands to lay it in. It's mostly cutting for alley oops and straight line attacks. In college, that worked because he was bigger and stronger than his peers but in the NBA? The defenders can keep up in size and speed. Therefore, you need fluidity on top of that.

Here's a mix of Patrick, for reference:



Look at that and tell me, how well does Patrick stand out, as a player who can contort his body while in motion? That was something Brandon Roy was tremendous at, for example, so think back to Roy when he attacked the rim. And that's moreso how Tatum moves. Patrick doesn't look like that but Cody's moves? They are similar to that playstyle (as posted earlier).

Tatum mix, for reference:



Now, the crux of Cody's weakness is his ball handling, which isn't non-existent so much as it needs to be tightened up. If you tighten that up, it should allow him to get more open spots and to drive it in or pull up. Otherwise, he is 'passive' because he settles for good shot selection over pure scoring which, again, probably has to do with his limited ball handling. The good news is that he can move in-out-left-right when pressured. It's just a matter of being confident enough to use his body to make contact and cause separation so that he can settle for a jumpshot or blow past defenders.

It's honestly very similar with Sharpe and his 'weak' handles.

At this point, he probably doesn't have enough muscle to make contact to create separation but relative to Durant's 185lbs at 6'11", Cody is similar so adding weight and strength isn't an issue here. Chet is also pretty light relative to his height and position and yet, he's doing just fine because he's tall, can shoot open jumpers, and is heavily finesse based.

So, my question is this. What is easier to fix? Average handles and lack of muscle? Or the inability to control your body while in motion and lack of any real go-to moves?

There's no guarantee here but the former seems to be a more identifiable set of traits for NBA stars to overcome.

If Cody doesn't pan out, he has enough skills and efficiency to fall back on, making him a Nic Batum/Darius Miles hybrid. That's good for a fourth wheel while the Blazers hunt for a Cooper, AJ, Ace, or Cam (amongst others) to be #1 or #2. But if he does pan out, Portland solves some major problems it needs to create a contender.

 

[Samuel]

Building a floor at 17. Makes sense.

 

[Samuel]

If Williams is there you take him. I’ve felt he’s the guy they’ve been angling for awhile. Plus there’s the Colorado connection.

I could see a scenario where they take Cody and say after the fact ‘it was always Cody.’

We’re gonna get a lot of smokescreens and misinfo over the next few weeks. Remember the Dyson Daniels debates? Good times.

 

[STOMP]

For comparison Sharpe two years ago;
Standing Reach 8'7.5 (Sharpe 0.5" higher)
Wingspan 6'11.5 (Cody 1.5" longer)

Shaedon was age 18.9 (over a half year younger) at his respective combine and weighed 198 which is 19.6 lbs more then Cody

As usual, I'm for drafting the BPA regardless of position, but to be clear Cody (like Shaedon) is SG sized.

STOMP

 

[SharpesTriumph]

Shaedon was age 18.9 (over a half year younger) at his respective combine and weighed 198 which is 19.6 lbs more then Cody

As usual, I'm for drafting the BPA regardless of position, but to be clear Cody (like Shaedon) is SG sized.

STOMP

Both could probably play SF fine with many units but not if the unit also has an undersized SG (Simons) and soft PF (Grant)

 

[Phatguysrule]

Shaedon was age 18.9 (over a half year younger) at his respective combine and weighed 198 which is 19.6 lbs more then Cody

As usual, I'm for drafting the BPA regardless of position, but to be clear Cody (like Shaedon) is SG sized.

STOMP

Agree 100%. Take the best player available, regardless of position.

 

[STOMP]

Both could probably play SF fine with many units but not if the unit also has an undersized SG (Simons) and soft PF (Grant)

to quote Chris Rock "you can drive a car with your feet, that doesn't mean it's a good idea"... pretty sure that either would be the smallest starting SF in the league.

STOMP

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Can anyone explain why he had the worst rebounding rate on his entire team, even worse than 6'1" guards? I'll be very surprised if Portland drafts him.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Can anyone explain why he had the worst rebounding rate on his entire team, even worse than 6'1" guards? I'll be very surprised if Portland drafts him.

He's polite! "No, after YOU."

 

[HansenYang]

Can anyone explain why he had the worst rebounding rate on his entire team, even worse than 6'1" guards? I'll be very surprised if Portland drafts him.

Jerami Grant syndrome

 

[Pinwheel1]

Can anyone explain why he had the worst rebounding rate on his entire team, even worse than 6'1" guards? I'll be very surprised if Portland drafts him.

Well, his team did lead the conference in defensive rebounding. Either way, I would hope the Blazers are smart enough to evaluate a player's potential and not his stats in a half-year of college ball.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

I'd take Salaun at 7 and move 14 and change for 11 to take one of Holland, Williams, Ware, Missi, Tyson or Dadiet.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

I'd take Salaun at 7 and move 14 and change for 11 to take one of Holland, Williams, Ware, Missi, Tyson or Dadiet.

I'd take Holland at #7 and I think that most of rest of those guys will still be available at #14.

 

[HansenYang]

I'd take Holland at #7 and I think that most of rest of those guys will still be available at #14.

Holland at 7
Ware at 14
Dadiet at 34
AJ Johnson at 40

 

[Pinwheel1]

Not quite as thick but watching Holland I get a Andre Iguodala vibe. Good defender and can finish with power.