The Minnesota Timberwolves' late-summer trade for Cody Williams was consummated with the primary goal of getting underneath the second apron and gaining much-needed roster flexibility.
The move saw the Wolves send out Josh Green , a veteran who, in a vacuum, would have been a better fit on the current roster than Williams. (The Wolves also received veteran John Konchar, who was immediately waived and had his contract stretched in order to complete the cap flexibility move.)
Still, Williams was the No. 10 overall pick just over two years ago. And while his two seasons spent with a tanking Utah Jazz team were uninspiring at best and disappointing at worst, there's plenty of upside remaining in the not-quite-22-year-old that the Wolves are curious to see if they can tap into.
Williams didn't play in the first half of the Wolves' preseason-opening win over Milwaukee, signaling that he is not currently in head coach Chris Finch's rotation plans. But he played 10 mostly encouraging second-half minutes that showcased elements of his game that could be useful to this year's Wolves squad.
As a draft prospect, Williams' size was one of the key reasons he was a lottery pick. He's 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan -- fantastic size for an NBA wing . While his athleticism doesn't jump off the screen, it's more than adequate, combining with his length to help him be a factor on both ends of the floor.
In the first preseason game, Williams was active enough that his length stood out. He played hard, and his length forced multiple Bucks shooters into difficult shots and disrupted Milwaukee's actions on the perimeter more than once.
Again, it's exactly what Williams needs to do to be a factor. He looked every bit the part of a legitimate wing stopper. While he was part of the NBA's worst defense over the last couple of seasons in Utah, we also have to consider the environment.
Those Jazz teams didn't have a whole lot of NBA-level defensive talent. And not to mention, playing alongside Isaiah Collier and Keyonte George in the backcourt, with a frontcourt of Kyle Filipowski and Ace Bailey, isn't the ideal recipe for supporting a developing wing defender like Williams.
But at least on this night in Milwaukee, Williams looked the part, using length and activity to bother opposing wings and guards. If he does this on a regular basis during preseason, he may force his way into a fringe rotation role.
Williams is most helpful as a complementary offensive player. He was thought of as a decent cutter after his lone season at the University of Colorado and has largely been solid as an off-ball contributor at the NBA level. He's good in transition and has decent feel for spacing and cutting in the half-court.
However, since he's a poor outside shooter (23.7% on 266 attempts in two years with the Jazz), his off-ball impact is limited.
But in the preseason opener against the Bucks, Williams was borderline dynamic with the ball in his hands. He racked up four assists in 10 minutes, including savvy head-manning passes in transition and half-court dump-offs to cutters. It's the sort of offensive know-how Williams had largely not shown in his first two seasons in the league and would make him playable if it is real progress.
Williams will never be a primary ball-handler or distributor. But if he's also going to remain a non-shooter from outside the arc, he must be an effective connector, and he looked the part in the preseason opener.
First and foremost, will all of the above continue? If he's a plus defender, good in transition, and a solid passer, then he's an NBA rotation player.
The next frontier for Williams to conquer would be becoming a competent outside shooter. He made 41.5% of his 3-point attempts in his lone collegiate season, but he only attempted a total of 41 threes in 24 games. The free throw shooting has been right at 71% both in college and through two years as a pro, so there is some hope.
Still, more than a third of his field goal attempts in the NBA have been threes. That volume must decrease as his opportunities in transition and at the rim as a cutter increase. But it would make a massive difference if he shot at least a respectable percentage from deep when the defense gives him space.
Here's hoping progress continues for Williams; the Wolves have a decision to make by the end of October on the rookie contract option for the 2027-28 season. While it's unlikely the Wolves pick it up, he has the rest of preseason and the entire 2026-27 campaign to make his case as a young player with plenty of remaining upside and a shot at cracking the Wolves' rotation at some point this season.
Get Timberwolves On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here .
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/timberwolves/onsi as Cody Williams Gave Timberwolves Reason for Hope in His Team Debut .
