Hot Shooting Could Steady OKC Thunder Without Jalen Williams

Oklahoma City will be missing one of its All-Stars for a while, but a shooting boost could steady the ship.

On Monday, the Thunder began their latest stretch without Jalen Williams, who left Saturday’s game in Miami with a hamstring strain and will be out at least a couple of weeks. As one of the premier matchups on MLK Day, the Thunder dominated in Cleveland in the national afternoon spotlight.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren showed exactly why they’ll be the Thunder’s duo at All-Star weekend, combining for 58 points. Along with the success of that star pairing, the Thunder’s offense was clicking as a unit, particularly from beyond the arc.

Oklahoma City’s shooting has come and gone throughout the year, but without Williams for the foreseeable future, getting a hot shooting stretch now could be a perfect storm for the Thunder. While Williams’ offense hasn’t been the most consistent this season as he tries to adjust to his new normal following wrist surgery in the offseason, his relentless attacking and playmaking have been a welcome sight for the Thunder.

In his absence, Gilgeous-Alexander will be tasked with a heavier workload, as will Holmgren. However, that workload simply gets a bit easier if the team can find its touch from beyond the arc, as it did with a 23-of-47 performance on Monday. 

Of course, the Thunder aren’t going to nail 23 threes on a nearly 50% clip on a consistent basis, but if they can get a bit more consistency from guys like Lu Dort and Cason Wallace, Oklahoma City might not feel Williams’ absence all that much. Considering Williams had begun to limit his 3-point shooting in recent games, his being on the sidelines could actually help the Thunder space the floor a bit better in the short-term.

Not only would that mean easier driving lanes for Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell when teams will be focusing more on them, but it also means better opportunities for everyone if defenses are having to scramble on the perimeter against a Thunder team that suddenly is much more threatening from deep.

It certainly isn’t a result of Williams’ injury that the Thunder would become a better shooting team, but it would be a great sign for Oklahoma City while he’s out. Outside shooting has eluded the Thunder throughout the year, but potentially getting on a roll from deep over the next few weeks would make it much easier to reintegrate Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein ahead of the stretch run to prepare for the postseason.

There’s no guarantee that any of this recent shooting streak will last, but the Thunder have to be encouraged by what their shooters have done over the past few games.

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