As the season approaches, Cody Williams appears to be outside of the Minnesota Timberwolves' rotation. His first two seasons with the Utah Jazz showed the world that he has a lot of work to do on the offensive end—he needs to show sizable growth on offense to earn minutes. Notably, Williams has averaged just 7 points on 41.9/23.7/71.1 shooting splits for his career.
Thankfully, however, Williams has shown some promise thus far, especially on defense. While Williams needs to improve offensively, defense is his ticket to earning minutes. Additionally, even though Williams looks to be on the outside of the Wolves' rotation, surprises can always happen.
So far at training camp, Williams' defense has caught the eyes of his teammates, with Anthony Edwards quickly noting that Williams has impressed him at camp.
“Cody Williams, I just love his defensive instincts," Edwards said when asked who has impressed him in training camp. "I think he could be really good in the NBA. His care factor has to go up a little more, just showing it, like everybody knows he cares but just showing it. Like you get a stop, let somebody know about it… other than that he brings intensity every day, his defense is incredible."
Cody Williams' defense is his ticket to minutes with the Timberwolves
Hearing that Williams has impressed Edwards is high praise, and it bodes well for his potential to earn minutes. Still, I'm not shocked that his defense has stood out. At 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, Williams has the ideal measurements for a defensive wing, and as noted, there's some evidence to suggest that he's a positive NBA defender.
Having a bankable skill is a prerequisite to earning NBA minutes, and defense is clearly Williams' bankable skill. Whether it's being a jumbo-sized point-of-attack defender like Jaden McDaniels, guarding forwards, or wreaking havoc as a defensive playmaker, Williams has numerous paths to making an impact on defense.
According to Basketball Index, Williams ranked in the 81st percentile for matchup difficulty and the 76th percentile for perimeter isolation defense last season. Moreover, per Databallr, he ranked in the 66th percentile for blocks per 100 possessions and the 63rd percentile for deflections per 100 possessions.
Right now, Williams is not an elite defender, but he has that level of upside, and so far he's certainly a positive defender in several different ways.
If the Timberwolves need an infusion of defense on any given night, Chris Finch could call Williams' name, and if he impresses, he could eventually earn a regular role. It's worth noting that Finch has an affinity for defense, which could help Williams.
Williams' competition for minutes
Currently, Ayo Dosunmu, Joan Beringer, and Terrence Shannon Jr. are all slated to play sizable bench roles.
From there, it's unclear who the ninth or possible even 10th man will be. Williams is competing with Bones Hyland, Jaylen Clark, and Trey Lyles for this role. Honestly, I'd project him or Lyles to be a notch below Clark and Hyland. Surprises can always happen, though, look at Hyland last year. And there's some intrigue with Williams' skill set.
Clark and Williams are in a similar spot as positive defenders, with offensive concerns. If Clark falters early on offense, or there are some injuries, minutes could open up for Williams, and he could take advantage of this opportunity.
The path for Williams to become a mainstay of the Timberwolves' rotation won't be easy. Regardless, his defensive acumen gives him a chance, and he could be laying the foundation for a career resurgence in training camp.
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