SAN ANTONIO — The 2024 NBA Draft is full of players talented enough to go pro.
But just like any athlete across any sports league, it takes hours, days, months, years of practice to hone the right skills to prepare to make their impact on a team.
Heading into Wednesday night's NBA Draft, Colorado's Cody Williams is projected to be a top pick in the first round. Among his skillsets: an ability to finish at the rim, which makes him an enticing selection for an NBA team.
That ability came with practice and a creative imagination. In Williams' case, that means imagining that he's going up against one of the most feared shot blockers in the NBA: San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama.
"Practice," Williams said at NBA Draft Media Day about his ability to get easy buckets at the rim. "You got to imagine there's someone at the rim trying to block your shot. Especially now, going to the league, I'm going to have guys like Wemby protecting the paint. When doing a workout, you got to pretend he's guarding you."
If the soon-to-be NBA rookie wants to try to finish at the rim with Wemby waiting for him, it won't be easy. As dozens of players found out last season, he must be ready to face his share of devastating blocks.
The 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year led the league in shots blocked at 3.5 per game. As if that wasn't enough, he had an NBA-best 20 games with multiple blocks, including a 10-block night against Toronto on Feb. 12.
In addition, he was the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year runner up and named to the All-NBA Defensive First team.
If the Spurs do not select Williams, it is smart of him to start preparing to face Wembayama. And if he does get his shots blocked by San Antonio's young superstar, he can take solace knowing he'll be far from the only one.
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