WHO: Colorado University vs. Oregon University
WHEN: January 16th, 2024 -- Boulder, CO
RESULT: Colorado 86-70
Cody Williams -- the brother of rising star Jalen Williams of the Thunder -- is finally back in action after missing a month with a wrist injury. He probably has the biggest couple months of the cycle. With Alexandre Sarr and Nikola Topic out due to injury, and college basketball heating up with conference play and March Madness, Cody Williams has the opportunity to bolster his draft stock -- and potentially become a contender for the 1st overall pick.
Colorado also features Tristan Da Silva and KJ Simpson, two upperclassmen talents with solid pro projections. Oregon's Jackson Shelstad has received some love from NBA Draft analysts as well. Kwame Evans is another name for Oregon, but it was a rather invisible game for him.
Cody Williams
23 points (10-13 shooting, 3-4 from 3), 3 assists (2 turnovers), 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 1 foul in 33 minutes
Offense: Cody Williams is a smooth offensive player. He's not a bouncy athlete, nor will he shake defenders out of their sneakers with his handle. However, everything about his offensive game is so smooth. His jumper has repeatable fluidity. He's a decisive player that makes quick decisions off the catch to either drive or shoot, a product of '0.5 basketball' (making decision to either pass, drive, or shoot with the ball in half a second). His live-dribble game needs more polishing, but he flashed interesting playmaking upside in this game -- primarily in side-action situations.
One (offensive) play:
Over the next few months, evaluators and decision-makers will want to see any sort of '+' potential within his 3-and-D archetype. This drive illustrated his potential, and was probably his best OTD sequence of the game. Off the catch, he made the defender bite on the half spin on his way to the bucket -- finishing with great body control and contact absorption on the and-1.
Defense: Williams has the tools to become a great defender at the next level with his 6'8" frame and his long arms, though would benefitted from added strength. Colorado stuck him on Shelstad -- Oregon's primary ball-handler -- for stints of the game. In the process, his screen navigation prevented guards from generating clean looks against him. His verticality is sound on contests at the rim and his closeouts. He doesn't gamble on his rotations, though he demonstrated good off-ball awareness to either force turnovers or prevent open looks from distance.
One (defensive) play:
At the point of attack, Williams got beat with a quick gear shift from Barthelemy. However, instead of deferring to the rim protection, he caught up to his man to stifle the drive with body contact and straight-up verticality.
What I'm monitoring: His efficiency with a larger sample size and role expansion. Cody Williams' efficiency is rather insane. Through 11 games, he's shooting 61.2% on 2's and 50% on 3's (though on a lowly 2 attempts per game). His opportunities are come within the flow of the offense, and he benefits off the attention Simpson and Da Silva draw as focal points of the system. Over time, with more sample size and through PAC-12 conference play, he should garner more defensive attention -- and an expansive role coming off injury. Maintaining -- or even remaining in the ballpark of -- his efficiency could bolster his case as one of the top picks in this draft, and as a malleable, starting-caliber wing in the NBA.
Tristan Da Silva
13 points (4-13 shooting, 1-5 from 3), 8 rebounds, 3 assists (4 turnovers), 1 steal, 0 blocks, 1 foul in 36 minutes
Offense: It was a tough offensive game for Da Silva. His handle was too loose, and his passes were risky -- trying to squeeze a passing window that was too tight. He could barely buy a bucket, but there wasn't anything that was out of the flow of the offense. Even amidst his mistakes, his fluidity at his size is intriguing. Because of his ball-handling at his size, he's a grab-and-go forward that seeks early offense in transition. Colorado deploys him as an initiator as well, where he can showcase his playmaking and his ball-handling while playing with steady cadence. When he's getting downhill, he leverages physicality well on his way to the bucket.
One (offensive) play:
If there's any play that encapsulates his skillset at his size, it's this transition bucket. Off the turnover, he takes off ahead of the defense -- throwing in a slick behind-the-back dribble. More impressively, he shifts gears to maintain control amidst the defensive pressure to finish the layup.
Defense: Da Silva's defensive upside is rather intriguing due to his size and his fluidity -- utilizing them into the ability to cover perimeter players and bother them as they get downhill. He stays with his man downhill to shut off the drive and force them to reset the offense. He's aggressive with his pressure both on and off the ball. He uses his hands well defensively -- maintaining an off arm on the hip on the drive, and the other arm active to close passing lanes. He's smart with his verticality, knowing when to rise up for the contest, or back off if the driving player is trying to draw a foul.
One (defensive) play:
Da Silva is an integral part of forcing a stop here with the amount of outlets he shut off. He denies the pass to Oquendo at the beginning of the action. As his man goes weak-side, Da Silva helps with back positioning on the post-up attempt, which reverses the ball to the other side. As the ball is swinging, Da Silva rotates back over to his man. On the catch, Da Silva's footwork and hip movement stifle the drive and forces Oquendo to pick up his dribble.
What I'm monitoring: Scalable game. Da Silva won't be thrusted into an on-ball role at the next level, mainly serving as a complementary 3-and-D forward. Granted, as Colorado gets deeper into the season and tournament, his skillset and experience will be leaned upon. However, at the next level, his game will scale down. His defense is a good selling point from either forward position. Offensively, he's shooting 43.9% on catch-and-shoot 3's and 76.1% at the rim, per Synergy Sports. As his role becomes more simplified, he has the skillset to return great value in the late 1st round or in the 2nd round.
KJ Simpson
22 points (7-15 shooting, 3-5 from 3), 5 assists (1 turnover), 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 0 blocks, 3 fouls in 36 minutes
Offense: KJ Simpson is a prototypical smaller college point guard with his scoring pop and his shiftiness. His jumper is pure, and it remains smooth even when he stops and pops. He controls the pace of the game, as evident through this transition playmaking -- seeking early offense before the defense settles at every chance he gets. Downhill, his movements are shifty on his way to the bucket. His passes have a good zip. The main drawback is he's a bit too trigger happy on his jumper -- took too many contested two's, and was the play-finisher on all 8 of his pick-and-roll as the ball-handler (scoring 0.778 points per possession, per Synergy Sports)
Defense: Simpson makes up for his lack of ideal size with his feistiness. He applies so much pressure at the point of attack, disrupting the ball-handler's rhythm with his lateral quickness and his low stance with his stature. He has quick hands and great anticipation off the ball, allowing him to be a credible help defender that gets his hands in the downhill action or jump passing lanes -- though he was caught ball-watching a few times and got burned from 3.
One play
KJ Simpson shows great anticipation with the help on the drive to force a steal, and he immediately flows into transition offense. The manipulation and gear-shifting he shows is so impressive. Near halfcourt, he puts a defender on his hip, identifying the area to attack. He finds the gap and finishes at the rim through contact to draw the and-1.
What I'm monitoring: Shot diet. Simpson won't get as large of an offensive role at the next level, so how will his shots come? His 3-point shooting is solid, both off the catch and the dribble. It couldn't fall, but he has a floater he can get to. He needs to trim some contested 2's out. Nonetheless, he has the makeup of a change-of-pace backup point guard that can hop off the ball here and there to add value as a shooter or next-action creator -- and that vision should materialize with better shot selection.
Jackson Shelstad
9 points (3-8 shooting, 3-7 from 3), 2 assists (3 turnovers), 1 rebound, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 0 fouls in 33 minutes
Offense: It was a quiet game from Shelstad. He's a deft shooter with a quick release and squared mechanics. He relocates with urgency, moving to either allow for proper spacing within the offense or to find an opening to get the ball to fire a clean look from 3. He's a quick guard with nice ball-handling, but Colorado's defense messed with his control off the drives, as all 3 of his turnovers came when getting downhill.
One (offensive) play:
This particular sequence was the strongest example of his shot relocation. After getting off the ball, he drifts to the corner. As the ball shifts further towards the opposite side, Shelstad catches Simpson ball-watching and darts to the top of the key for a deep 3.
Defense: Like Simpson, Shelstad lacks in size but is a tenacious defender. He fights through screens to stay glued to his man. On the ball, he guards nearly chest-to-chest to make his man uncomfortable.
One (defensive) play:
Shelstad fights through the screen to stay attached to Simpson on the drive. As he's trying to turn a corner to the basket, Shelstad hounds Simpson's downhill efforts and forces a contested fadeaway jumper. Great aggressiveness while avoiding fouling.
What I'm monitoring: Shelstad strikes me more as a 3 or 4-year player, and over time, his decision-making and his game management will surely grow to amplify his skillset. Hopefully, he maintains his feisty defense, as that's his ticket to the league in a NBA that continues to scale up in size.