Despite Drafting a Big Man, Jaylin Williams Can Be a Big Part of OKC Thunder Future

Oklahoma City completed the impossible on Sunday night by knocking off the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals. Thanks to a strong supporting cast and an MVP candidate, this Thunder team was able to hang its first banner in franchise history. All 15 players on the roster found a way to make an impact at some point during the season, and the majority of those players showed up in the postseason, too.

For Thunder fans, it was a joy to see players that had grown up while in Oklahoma City shine on the biggest stage. Of course, no players from this young team are necessarily from OKC, but most of them began their professional careers here and are now engrained in the culuture and experience of living in Oklahoma. One of the players that has bought in most to this city identity is none other than Jaylin Williams.

Williams made a mark on Oklahoma City early on with a big smile and a mindset full of hustle, and has developed into a rock solid player. His biggest impact was felt during the regular season where he played 47 games and averaged 5.9 points and 5.6 rebounds in 17 minutes per game. He was never known for his shooting stroke in college, but Williams dedicated his time to improving with the Thunder and turned himself into a career 39% 3-point shooter.

As the Thunder selected a bruising big man in Thomas Sorber during the first round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday night, many fans immediately tnought about J-Will's future. Sorber's impact, however, should not effect Williams's fit in the future plans at all.

Oklahoma City rewarded Isaiah Hartenstein with a massive contract last summer, and it was a short-term deal on purpose. Obviously, the Thunder would like to keep Hartenstein in Oklahoma City for as long as possible, but with the impending contract extensions, he'd have to take a serious paycut to make it work. If anything, Williams should be more valuable in the front court moving forward with a true center like Sorber.

Aside from the locker room factor, Williams is comfortable sliding down to the power forward and offers an elite locker room presence and voice, too. Should Hartenstein ever leave, Williams will always be available as a plug-and-play option, and seems to want to stay with the Thunder long term.

He had plenty of huge moments in the regular season and the playoffs, including slowing down Nikola Jokic on multiple occasions. If Sorber's selection made you question Williams's fit on the roster, think again. The Thunder's big man should be here to stay.