As Jalen Williams is set to make his second appearance in the Rising Stars Challenge at the end of the week, his emergence has not been a surprise to those around Oklahoma City. During training camp last year, veteran forward Kenrich Williams called his shot, saying the Santa Clara product would be a future All-Star.
Members of the Thunder were not the only ones to notice Williams early on last season. When the Dallas Mavericks strolled into Tulsa for a preseason clash, Theo Pinson tabbed the 12th overall pick as a future star.
"I played against [Jalen Williams] last year, preseason, first preseason game. He was playing the game, not like a rookie. He was playing the game like, 'I belong here...y'all not good...I should not be playing on the floor with the guys who are trying to make the roster...I am a starter, I am a guy'...You could just tell. Now, He has arrived, he is doing his thing." Former Mavericks forward Pinson said on his Podcast, Run Your Race.
In that preseason game against the Mavericks, the then Thunder rookie played 22 minutes, notching 10 points, dishing three assists and grabbing two rebounds. He came off the bench in that contest before starting 62 of his 75 games played a year ago.
On that same podcast, former Thunder forward Justin Jackson doubled down saying "[Jalen Williams] is the next best two-way player we will see in the NBA,"
This season, the Sophomore sensation is averaging 19.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.5 stocks while shooting 54 percent from the floor, 45 percent from 3-point land and 81 percent at the charity stripe.
The second-year star has been the ultimate three-level scorer and one of the best fourth-quarter scorers in the NBA since the turn of the calendar year. He is a big season the Thunder enter the All-Star Break 20 games above .500 and is poised to be an All-Star sooner than later.
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