Cody Williams entered Timberwolves camp with a rough NBA résumé and a lot to prove. Two months ago, he looked like a player headed the wrong way. After six preseason games, though, he has given Minnesota enough to think about - maybe even enough to crack Chris Finch’s rotation.
Anthony Edwards was one of the first to notice. When asked who had caught his eye in training camp, he didn’t hesitate.
“Cody Williams,” Edwards told the media two weeks ago. “I just love his defensive instincts.
I think he can be really good in the NBA. His care factor has got to go up a little more.
Just showing it. Like, everybody knows he cares, but just showing it.”
Edwards doubled down on that view. “He brings intensity every day,” Edwards said.
“His defense is incredible. Like, knowing when to get into guys, knowing when a screen comes, his hands, knowing when to foul and when not to foul.
I think he can be really good.”
That kind of praise matters, especially for a player who was once a lottery pick. Williams, 21, went No. 10 overall out of Colorado two years ago and signed a four-year rookie-scale deal worth nearly $25 million.
But the offensive side of his game never caught up to that draft slot, and Utah moved him to Minnesota this summer in a deal for veteran Josh Green, who is on an expiring contract. Trading a high pick before the rookie contract runs out usually says plenty.
Still, Williams has started to change the conversation.
At 6-foot-8 with long limbs and quick feet, he has shown he can hang on the perimeter and stay connected to smaller players. He is not built to handle bigger bodies near the rim, and that remains a problem for the Wolves’ small-ball groups, but the preseason offered a clearer picture of what he can do right now: defend multiple spots, keep mistakes down, and fit what Finch asks from young players fighting for minutes.
Finch can live with missed shots and turnovers to a point. What he wants first is dependable defense. Williams gave him that.
Offensively, the numbers still look shaky. Williams averaged 6.5 points in the preseason, shot 36.4% from the field and 18.8% from three.
The same issue that has followed him since he arrived in the league showed up again, especially on catch-and-shoot threes. That part of his game still lags behind.
But there were encouraging signs with the ball in his hands. Finch used him in lineups where he handled the ball more than he likely will once the games start counting, and Williams showed he could process the floor quickly. He made clean reads against half-court pressure, pushed the ball with purpose in transition, and flashed an attacking style that got him downhill in a hurry.
That profile overlaps with Terrence Shannon Jr., who has been expected to play a meaningful role for Minnesota this season. Shannon can be the same kind of force - a downhill scorer, a defender, a guy who reads the floor and finishes through contact. The difference is that Minnesota has not seen that version of him often enough.
He flashed it at times, especially in last year’s playoffs, but the preseason did not help his case. Shannon looked out of control too often when driving to the rim, still leaned on left-handed layups on the right side, and kept making the defensive mistakes Finch has already pointed out, including ball-watching off the ball and getting backcut.
That is why Williams has at least opened the door to taking some of that rotation space.
Shannon still has the edge for now because of his bigger frame and his ability to space the floor, but Williams has made himself a real option. The defense, the discipline, the on-ball poise - those things stood out. And if Shannon’s issues carry over into the regular season, Williams could end up moving ahead of him in Finch’s usually tight rotation.
For a player who looked like a bust just two months ago, that is a pretty sharp turn.
In Other News...
Timberwolves May Have A Longer Wait Than Expected On This Draft Pick
Trey Kaufman-Renns path to the Timberwolves may be taking a detour back through college basketball. Minnesota still holds his draft rights, but the big man has been able to keep his college route open after a court injunction granted him an extra season of eligibility, and his future remains tied to a legal process that is not finished yet.
For now, Kaufman-Renn has moved forward with Kansas, where he has signed, enrolled in classes and started practicing with the Jayhawks. The NCAA is expected to appeal the injunction, which leaves Minnesota in a familiar draft-night holding pattern with a player it still controls on paper, even though he has not signed a professional contract. [Read more 🡒]
Finch Just Put A Title Concern On The Timberwolves' Radar
Chris Finch is already looking past the obvious strengths of this Timberwolves group and straight at the area that could decide how far it goes. For all the buzz around Minnesotas top-end talent and Rudy Goberts presence in the paint, Finch made it clear that rebounding is the biggest issue on his radar entering the season, a reminder that championship teams usually have to survive the grind as much as they have to win the highlight moments.
The concern is less about one player carrying the load and more about how the roster fits together after losing size in the frontcourt. Finch wants more help on the glass from the wings and bigger scoring options, and the burden figures to fall on players such as Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards to chip in. Gobert remains an elite rebounder, but Minnesota will need the whole rotation to buy in if it wants to avoid turning a manageable flaw into a playoff problem. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Have A Real Opening Against A Vulnerable Nuggets Team
Minnesota enters the season with a real chance to push into the next tier of the Western Conference after making major offseason changes, most notably adding LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga. Those moves were made with a clear purpose: give the offense more juice and raise the ceiling of a roster that has been good enough to matter, but not yet good enough to separate itself from the pack.
The opportunity looks even better when you scan the rest of the top half of the West, where Denver no longer looks nearly as airtight as it once did. The Nuggets have taken a hit in the kind of perimeter defense and lineup flexibility that usually keeps them stable over the long season, and the depth chart behind the starters leaves plenty of questions for Minnesota to probe if it wants to climb past the group its being measured against. [Read more 🡒]