Cody Williams undecided on next move following freshman season at Colorado
While Colorado men’s basketball forward Cody Williams remains a projected top-10 selection in this year’s NBA draft and has been since high school, a roller coaster freshman season riddled with injuries has put the surefire lottery pick’s future on ice.
Williams’ draft stock has stayed about the same after he averaged 11.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 24 games played this season while being one of the Buffs’ top defenders. But when asked about what lies ahead after Colorado’s season-ending NCAA Tournament loss to Marquette, he told The Gazette’s Tyler King that he has “no clue” what the next month will have in store.
The 6-foot-8 forward was one of the best freshmen in the country when healthy, showing off his lengthy frame, freakish athleticism and two-way upside. However, a wrist injury, a fractured orbital bone and an ankle issue limited his time on the court. The ankle injury, Williams’ most recent setback, sidelined him for the final four games of the regular season.
When Williams returned from his latest injury, the season-long starter came off the bench for the entirety of the Pac-12 Tournament and Colorado’s brief March Madness run. He struggled during CU’s biggest games, he averaged only 5.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists across the six games on 15-of-38 shooting (39.5%) from the field.
Although he did secure Pac-12 All-Freshman honors, another year at the college level may benefit him in the long run. His older brother, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams, spent three years at Santa Clara before going 12th overall in the 2022 NBA draft.
Williams does have some flaws, such as off-ball defensive positioning and overall comfortability with higher-level hoops. Assuming he does enter this year’s draft, whichever team selects the talented 19-year-old will get to work on the areas he needs to improve. But another year working with head coach Tad Boyle and his staff may help.
Either way, it doesn’t seem like there is a wrong decision for Williams. With Tristan da Silva and Luke O’Brien graduating this year and KJ Simpson expected to test the NBA draft waters, Colorado would welcome Williams back with open arms.
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