Rookie Cody Williams is blending in with the Utah Jazz in all the right ways

Before training camp began, before any preseason games had been played and before the Utah Jazz had any official practices ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season, rookie Cody Williams made an impression on his new teammates.

It wasn’t about Williams being ultra aggressive, or trying things that are out of the box or that would wow a crowd. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. By not necessarily standing out, Williams has proven himself ready for the NBA game.

“The best thing about Cody is that he’s able to blend in,” Keyonte George said at Jazz media day. “You might not know that he’s out there but he’s making the right play. He’s in help side, using his voice, he’s just blending in with the flow of the game.

“He’s not taking an outlandish shot because he hasn’t touched it in a minute, if he doesn’t have a shot, he’s off of it. That’s the best thing about him right now, being able to fit in and playing the game the right way.”

Saying that someone blends in is not necessarily what most people would think to be a basketball compliment. But at this juncture in Williams’ basketball career, it speaks volumes.

Every basketball player makes mistakes, especially rookies who are just trying to get a feel for a new team and system and style of play and pace of game and, and, and. There is a lot to digest when making the leap from the collegiate ranks to the pros. But every once in a while there are players who feel like they come to the NBA, mentally ready-made. They just instinctually understand not only where they are supposed to be at all times, but what their role is. That’s Cody Williams.

“That’s just his demeanor, period,” Jordan Clarkson said of Williams. “Being in the right spots, that’s a skill of its own, and I really haven’t seen him make too many mistakes — in practice and in the game. Most of the time he’s in the right spots, he’s trying to make the right plays.”

While the Jazz were seeing this side of Williams behind closed doors during open gym runs over the summer, the rest of us had to wait until the preseason to get a glimpse of how Williams would fare alongside his new teammates. And, as George had eluded to on media day, Williams has seemed to blend in, but in exactly the right way.

“Cody keeps it simple,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “Cody’s done a really nice job of fitting in as a rookie, which is hard to do. There’s moments with young players where sometimes we all go like, ‘Man, I didn’t really notice him in the game very much.’ But that also means you didn’t notice him doing anything terribly wrong, which is a good step.”

Despite coming to the Jazz roster as the rookie with the slightest frame, and probably the most need of anyone of putting on some weight to handle NBA opponents, Williams has acquitted himself very well. He’s proven to be adept as a passer, he’s held himself to a high standard on the defensive end and shown that he can score in a variety of ways — off the dribble, on drives, in catch-and-shoot situations, at the rim and in transition.

In the Jazz’s preseason win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, Williams was a part of the closing lineup on the court and more than anything, it was Williams’ intelligence that stood out to Hardy and his staff.

“Cody’s ability to just really kind of take the game for what it is and see what’s in front of him is a really good place to start,” Hardy said. “Are there going to be moments where we are trying to push Cody and demand kind of going for it a little bit more? Sure. But right now, I think his decision making and when to shoot and when to pass is really good.”

So, while blending in has earned some early trust from the coaching staff, and will likely be the reason that Williams earns playing time regularly during the regular season, it will also lead to increased opportunity and being given even more responsibility within the offense.