Why Cody Williams is On3's No. 1 in 2023
On3 issued its final On3 150 for the 2023 class cycle, with Gilbert (Ariz.) Perry High small forward Cody Williams as the class’s No. 1 player.
The 6-foot-7 Colorado signee is one of 12 Five Star Plus+ players in this class. The Five Star Plus+ is an indicator that the player is rated as a five-star prospect across all four major scouting sites. This is the second update of the 2023 On3 150 that Williams has held the No. 1 overall spot.
This conversation was not an easy one as there is not a surefire No. 1 player in this class. This 2023 rankings received eight updates from On3, and throughout the cycle, four players held serve at No. 1. Prior to Williams, GG Jackson was No. 1 when On3 expanded from 100 to 150 in February of 2022. After Jackson re-classified, DJ Wagner took hold of the No. 1 spot in August of 2022. Wagner’s high school teammate Aaron Bradshaw earned the No. 1 ranking for the next two updates. Cody Williams took the No. 1 spot over in On3’s March update.
In this final conversation, Isaiah Collier, Ron Holland, and Aaron Bradshaw’s names were each brought up with supporting data.
Our goal is to assess a prospect’s long-term potential, ultimately manifested by the NBA Draft. The goal of the ranking is not to assess who had the best high school career or who will be the best college player. This is why we have chosen to have 14 five-star prospects following the lead of the NBA Draft Lottery. Ideally, the vision is on draft night that the player we have No. 1 has the highest odds of being the top overall pick.
Let’s discuss the thought process behind making Cody Williams On3’s No. 1 player for the 2023 cycle.
Williams’ production is interesting
It started for Cody Williams during last summer’s Nike Peach Jam. Playing with the Vegas Elite program, he averaged 16.7 points with 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists. It was really during that week-long stretch that Williams was taken seriously as a top-level prospect.
Throughout his senior season, on the biggest stages his team played on, Williams has been at his best, further showing the upward trajectory. During Hoophall West, Williams averaged 20.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. In his run to his second consecutive state title, Williams averaged 18.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists.
Williams entered high school as a 6-foot-2 guard. He has consistently grown each year while maintaining his guard skills. For much of the season, Williams played on the ball, initiating offense for his 30-1 team. He has steadily grown year over year, and there is a clear developmental arc that may not be done yet.
Willams has the measurables
Cody Williams was listed at 6-foot-8 at the Nike Hoop Summit. Looking ahead, this is an ideal height for an NBA wing. It has also been reported that he has a 7-foot-plus wingspan, which will help him to play bigger than his listed height.
The top wing taken in last year’s 2022 NBA Draft was Iowa RS-sophomore, Keegan Murray. Murray is listed at 6-foot-8 with a 6-foot-11 wing span. Williams will need to continue adding weight, listed at 180 pounds, but at 18 years old, that should come as he enters a college weight program.
Given his age, with a November 2004 birthday Williams is 11 months younger than the No. 2 small forward in the class Justin Edwards. There is a lot of optimism about Williams’ upward growth both physically and on the court.
Direct NBA bloodlines
Cody Williams‘ 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. He 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.