Jazz Shut Down Rookie for Rest of Season

It's officially the end of Cody Williams' rookie season with the Utah Jazz.

According to a team release, Williams will be out for the rest of the 2024-25 season due to mononucleosis, effectively keeping him out of the mix for Utah's final five games of the year.

Here's the full statement from the Jazz:

"Williams tested positive for mononucleosis on April 1. He will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season and will be re-evaluated in three weeks before starting off-season conditioning."

It's been nothing short of an interesting year for the Jazz's lottery pick in Williams, who did tend to have his fair share of ups and downs throughout.

During his 50 games suiting up, Williams averaged 4.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 32.3% shooting from the field and 25.9% from deep. Perhaps a few flashes have been scattered in the mix, but ultimately, it's been a year defined by its collection of inefficiency issues and growing pains.

It's far from an indication that Williams' career is doomed to fail, though. Coming out of college, it was well known that he'd likely need some time to grow into his frame physically and get extended reps after having limited shots and opportunities at Colorado.

Now, the Jazz are facing the brunt of that effect through the turbulence of his first season. It's been tough sledding at times, but Utah and their coaching staff still seem motivated to have the back of their young lottery pick, who still has a considerable amount of potential to bank on.

While the illness for Williams will end his rookie campaign a bit prematurely, it'll provide an opportunity for the Colorado product to refresh after a bumpy first year in the league, then get kickstarted on a critical offseason for his development ahead of his sophomore campaign right around the corner.