April 4, 2026, 8:30 p.m. CT
On the final day of a five-game homestand, the Oklahoma City Thunder will enjoy their last gimme of the year. The Utah Jazz enter prioritizing development over their win-loss record. That has also helped them basically secure a high lottery pick.
Shoutout to Derrick Favors’ bloated salary. Fair to say mission accomplished. At this point, Utah is about guaranteed to keep the pick. Racking up handfuls of losses over the last few months helped with that. Another benefit? Playing their end-of-bench guys heavy minutes.
That likely explains why Cody Williams has played some of his best basketball. He redeemed a forgettable rookie season with a productive sophomore year. He’s averaged 13.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 21 games since the NBA All-Star break.
The Jazz added Williams with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NBA draft. Coming out of Colorado, most knew he’d be a long-term project with the tools to be a starter. So far, it’s been rough waters. But after spending time in the G League and at the end of the bench, he’s finally found a flow in the NBA.
Every other game, Williams has dropped 20 points. In a 140-108 loss to the Houston Rockets, he had 27 points and 11 rebounds. The 21-year-old will likely see his older brother, Jalen Williams, assigned to him in the lopsided matchup. That’ll be a fun storyline to see.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has liked what he’s seen from Williams. Other guys in Utah who have taken advantage of Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and other Jazz starters being sidelined are Ace Bailey and Brice Sensabaugh.
“Those guys are playing great. Cody’s playing great,” Daigneault said. “We’re happy for him.”
We’ll see how much of this is real or just part of the Mickey Mouse March marathon. That said, you can’t be too mad at Willias putting up numbers. Even if you’re cynical about his long-term NBA future, this beats the alternative of him still struggling despite logging 30-plus minutes.
“He’s getting the experience that young players need, especially a guy who only did one year of college. Physically, he wasn’t fully developed. He’s still not,” Daigneault said. “He’ll look a lot different when he’s 24 than he does right now, but the reps are huge for guys like that.”
Let’s be honest — the Thunder should sleepwalk their way to a win over the Jazz. The talent difference is just too large. If you want to skip this one, I wouldn’t blame you. That said, it’ll be cool to see the Williams brothers’ matchup. That has seldom happened in two seasons due to injuries and other reasons.