MIA
CHI
DAL
SACEstimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Cody Williams, drafted 10th by the Jazz, struggled in his rookie season.
- Williams averaged 4.6 points, shooting 32% overall, lowest among lottery picks.
- Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski showed promise, with Collier improving post-All-Star break.
SALT LAKE CITY — With only two games left in the dreadful Jazz season, it's worth evaluating the three rookies drafted last June.
In order of draft position, let's start with Cody Williams. The swingman, whose season ended after testing positive for mononucleosis on April 1, was drafted 10th in the first round after only one season at Colorado.
Playing second fiddle to two other NBA draft picks on Colorado's roster, he showed enough in 24 college games to draw plenty of interest from NBA scouts. But at 6-foot-7 and a mere 190 pounds, Williams was always going to be a project destined to need several seasons.
Even still, with low expectations, Williams failed to come close to meeting them. To put it mildly, it's hard to find many positives in his first season.
As expected with this evaluation, the numbers he posted were underwhelming. In 50 games, Wiliams averaged 4.6 points and 2.3 rebounds while shooting 26% from behind the 3-point line and 32% overall.
His field goal percentage is the lowest among all players drafted in the lottery and second worst among all first-round selections. His 3-point percentage was slightly better, ranking fourth worst among all the players drafted in the first round.
As ugly as it was, hold off labeling him another wasted lottery pick. Still seven months shy of turning 21, Williams does have the type of length and athleticism that most good players at his position possess.
His skill set is akin to that of Taylor Hendricks, whom the Jazz drafted ninth one year earlier. Williams and Hendricks, who missed most of this season after suffering a broken leg, each have the benefit of time to fulfill their respective potential.
With the Jazz in full tank mode this season and probably next year as well for the sake of high lottery picks, team management is not fretting over the franchise-setting loss totals. At that same time, Williams needs to show improvement next season.
Moving on to the second of last June's three draft picks, Isaiah Collier was the opposite of Williams. The point guard out of USC, who progressed and his playing time increased, showed the ability to run the offense.
Collier started off slow, posting modest statistics while averaging 17 minutes per game over the first two months. Since becoming a starter in January, he has shown enough to consider him a great pick at 29th in the first round.
For now, the 20-year-old's only obvious weakness is perimeter shooting. At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Collie has the size and strength to challenge and convert against much bigger, more mature players.
From November until the three games in April, Collier's monthly field goal percentage has improved from 31.4% to 45%. Over the 25 games since the All-Star break in February, he is shooting 43% from the field.
These numbers aren't nearly good enough, but the real concern is his 3-point shooting. In the 3-point-happy league, Collier's numbers beyond the arc (23% before the All-Star break and 27% since then) won't cut it.
"Your shooting is going to get better," said former BYU and Utah men's and women's college coach Jeff Judkins, who played in the NBA.
The positive is his assist-to-turnover ratio, which should provide him with a steady income for many years. Since the break, Collier has been averaging 12 points, 7.1 assists and 3.1 turnovers per game.
Right there with Collier is Kyle Filipowski, who was taken with the second pick of the second round. As the Jazz have conjured up reasons to hold off more established frontcourt players in the race to the bottom, Filipowski has taken advantage of his increased playing time.
At 6-foot-11, the former Duke forward shoots well enough to command attention at the three-point line. Like Collier, he should have a lengthy NBA career.
