Cody Williams' evaluation of the NBA Las Vegas Summer League

Cody Williams flipped the switch at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. What started as timidity has now turned to tenacity. Where there was once hesitation, there is now determination. As the basketball world turns its attention to the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, the eyes of basketball fans around the world are on tall Utah wing Cody Williams.

So what changed for Williams? How did he go from scoring five points per game under the lights at the Delta Center to performing at a high level at a league-wide event in Nevada? A lottery pick for the Utah Jazz and former McDonald's All-American, Williams quickly elevated his performance from footnote-worthy to excitement-worthy. Let's take a look at Williams' heel turn during Summer League.

Read the room situation

It's commonly understood that the difference between a good comedian and a great one is their ability to read the room and tailor their performance to the audience — taking the information and reactions they're given and delivering exactly what the audience needs for their unique situation. During his playing time in Summer League, Cody Williams demonstrated a similar ability to make the right decisions at the right time.

He's become a more effective decision-maker, picking his spots more effectively and forcing defenses to push back, and he seems to wait less for the perfect moment for his opportunity to present itself. The Williams we saw in Las Vegas has transformed from the little Wonderful Dog we saw in the Salt Lake City Summer League into a beefier Wonderful Dog.

In Salt Lake City, Williams struggled with his shooting, shooting a mediocre 26 percent from the field and an even worse 9 percent from long range. Perhaps the pressure to perform in front of the home crowd in Utah was in the back of his mind, or perhaps he just took time to adjust to the increased level of competition.

Williams was overly cautious in his first summer league appearance, and it showed in his performance and on-court play. He was like a dog behind an electric fence, hesitant to step too far out of his comfort zone for fear of the repercussions of doing so. Whatever pebbles he had in his shoes, he clearly left them behind in Las Vegas.

Cody scored 17 points per game on 57/33/89 shooting (small sample size, mind) and did a lot more than wait for an open shot to fall into his lap in the corner.

Look at this play in particular: Cody makes the catch on the right wing while being held by fellow first-round draft pick Jacobi Walter. Notice how Cody turns his back to his defender to keep the ball out of danger. Also notice how Cody throws the ball up court, spins, and drives into the paint to finish through contact.

Plays like this made a huge difference in his performance and reflected a change in mentality: In this game, it was either eat or be eaten, and Cody stopped playing with his food.

After seeing him get into fights and fights Through Withstanding the defensive pressure made me even more optimistic about Williams' physique and his potential to get even stronger over the next few years, though I don't expect him to lift Larry the Lobster. Goo Lagoon Weightlifting Tournamentbut he's no Square Pants. Cody has proven he's capable of beating his competitors with force without getting caught with ripped pants.

The lottery pick's aggressive mentality doesn't just extend to his movement with the ball: watch this baseline cut to see defenders confused and stunned as Williams slips through for an easy slam ball.

To challenge

his Post-match interviewsWilliams told Taylor Rooks that Utah has gotten better by “challenging them defensively,” and Cody's growth is also reflected in his determination to rise to the challenges his opponents throw at him.

in Looking back on his first appearance in the Summer LeagueHere's what I wrote about Williams' performance:

…What stood out most to me was Williams' lack of movement. He was absent for most of the first half, apart from the occasional dribble or jump shot. From the perimeter, he would move to avoid contact with the defense before taking mid-range jump shots. Cody's style of play conjures up the image of a typical teenage boy hurling pebbles at his girlfriend's window in the middle of the night. He wants to make his presence known, but he doesn't want to cause a ruckus. […] He has the tools to be a dynamic offensive weapon. every Hopefully, we'll see him in action more often in this phase of the game.

First, I want to admit that I Happily Let me take back my statement here. I was wrong about Williams' style. He's not the disruptive force that his brother Jalen is, but Cody has proven to the world that he's not afraid of the little things and can play a physical game of basketball.

Williams put an exclamation point on Utah's fourth quarter win over Dallas with a powerful left shot through the Mavericks defense, blowing past the defense and leaping through the rotation, Cody soaring through the air and providing the highlight of the game.

Plays like this make me want to shell out crazy amounts of money for a Williams jersey. Am I jumping the gun on a rookie's summer league performance? Yeah, probably. But am I confident in what Cody Williams can bring to the Utah Jazz once the season begins? Absolutely.

True Cheese

Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images

So has the real Slim Shady finally risen to the occasion and exposed his former self as merely an imitator, or will the NBA game be a slower pace for Williams? Is this version of Cody Williams a mirage for Jazz fans who have grown anxious over the disappointing performances of their young stars?

There is a widespread opinion in NBA circles that Summer League performances, whether in good or bad circumstances, should not be taken as absolute. While statistics and numbers may be promising in this situation, one great performance in Summer League does not cement a player's legend in the most prestigious basketball league in the world, and short periods of overproduction do not mean much for a player's future under any circumstances (remember, TJ Warren goes god mode In the 2020 bubble? Where is he now?

I don't mean to belittle Williams' development at all — in fact, I might just be the driver of the Cody Williams hype train — and it's important to view this moment in his career with reasonable expectations and an unbiased perspective. True CheeseAny story can take on a different meaning when viewed through the right lens.

By all accounts, Cody Williams' rapid development between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas has been more than a mirage. When he's playing confident and aggressive — and when he's really confident — Williams shows glimpses of tantalizing potential. It's easy to see why Utah's front office had Cody in the draft, and watching him develop has been fascinating.