Cody Williams out with wrist injury against Northern Colorado

Colorado won’t be at full-strength for its matchup against Northern Colorado. Standout small forward Cody Williams will be unavailable due to his wrist, per Jon Rothstein.

In seven games this season, Williams has averaged 14 points, 3.6 rebounds and two assists per game while shooting 62.3% from the field and 60% from beyond the arc. Earlier this month, On3 listed Williams as the No. 4 draft prospect in college basketball.

The lofty praise is no surprise. Williams finished as the No. 1 prospect in the 2023 class, according to On3 Industry Ranking. Basketball is in Williams’ blood.

Cody Williams boasts family ties

His brother is Jalen Williams, the No. 12 pick of the 2022 NBA Draft. Jalen Williams was a late-blooming wing who has consistently gotten better each year since he was in high school. He spent three years at Santa Clara, which began with 22-of-33 games started and 7.7 points and culminated in a first-team All-WCC selection as a junior. 

Williams finished his rookie season with the Oklahoma City Thunder averaging 14.1 points and 3.3 assists. He finished second in the NBA Rookie of the Year award. 

To this point in his career, Cody Williams looks to also be on a late-blooming path. Williams entered high school as a 6-foot-2 guard. Now at Colorado, he stands at 6-foot-8. For much of his senior season, Williams played on the ball, initiating offense for his 30-1 team. There is a clear developmental arc that may not be done yet.

Like his brother, Cody Williams also picked a school in Colorado with head coach Tad Boyle that is known for developing guards and wings similar to Williams. 

A quick look at Colorado’s players currently in the NBA, Derrick White, Spencer Dinwiddie, Alec Burks, Jabari Walker, and McKinley Wright, who are all guards or wings. If you take out Wright, they are all 6-foot-4 to 6-foot-8. Interestingly enough, none of those five current players on NBA contracts entered Colorado ranked among the top 100 players in their respective high school classes.

When you add in 6-foot-7 Tyler Bey, 6-foot-6 George King, and 6-foot-7 Andre Roberson, who also came to Colorado outside of the top 100 and left as NBA Draft picks, Tad Boyle has taken developmental players who look and/or play like Williams and developed them into guys on NBA contracts.