The first Minnesota Timberwolves preseason game offered an early glimpse at where Cody Williams stands in the pecking order, and it was not an encouraging one for the 22-year-old wing.
Minnesota opened its exhibition slate Monday night with a 116-97 win over the rebuilding Milwaukee Bucks, but Williams barely factored into the action. He did not enter until 3:22 remained in the third quarter, long after head coach Chris Finch had already cycled through a group that pointed to the rotation picture pretty clearly.
By that point, 10 players had already seen the floor in the first half. The Wolves’ well-known starting five all got the nod, while Ayo Dosunmu, Terrence Shannon Jr., Joan Beringer, Trey Lyles, and Bones Hyland came off the bench before Williams ever got the call. Those five reserves are all expected to play ahead of him, and Monday only reinforced that idea.
Finch also used all three two-way players - Rocco Zikarsky, Zyon Pullin, and Enrique Freeman - before turning to Williams, along with second-round pick Isaiah Evans and training camp invitee KJ Martin. Jaylen Clark started the second half as well.
Williams’ limited run didn’t look disastrous. In 10 minutes, he delivered a nice pass to Martin for an easy layup and later attacked the rim in the fourth quarter for a bucket against a Bucks defense that didn’t seem ready for it.
But the biggest issue remains the same one that followed him from Utah: the shot. He missed both of his 3-point attempts, and that’s the swing skill he still has to prove he can bring.
Minnesota picked Williams 10th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, but his first two NBA seasons with the Utah Jazz were uneven. His rookie year was rough, and while there was some progress last season, he was still way off from deep.
The Timberwolves acquired him in late August in a deal for Josh Green, a move made primarily to clear Green’s salary so Minnesota could afford Jonathan Kuminga. Still, the front office took a flyer on a former lottery talent.
Williams turns 22 on November 20, and he’ll get another chance to make a case for himself Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers. Minnesota has four more preseason games after that, but unless he makes a real push in those outings, it’s hard to see him climbing much higher when the regular season begins.
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