Jalen Williams Could Be OKC Thunder’s Deciding Factor In Finals

Oklahoma City came into the NBA Finals full of sky-high vibes and heavy expectations. This Thunder team was, and still is, a massive favorite, and many expected life to be easier than the Western Conference gauntlet.

That all came crashing down in a hurry, though, as the Pacers shocked the Thunder on their home court. Indiana battled back from a late double-digit deficit and left all of Oklahoma City silent — and heartbroken. Now, everyone knows. This is a real series, both teams have a chance.

The truth is, Oklahoma City fumbled a sure-win away. It started in the first half — even up by 12 points at halftime, everyone could see all of the missed opportunities. The Thunder weren’t sharp. It continued in the second half, and late into the game OKC just let this team hang around. The Pacers made them pay, as they always do. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, despite missing a crucial shot late, did his best with a 38-point effort. It’s his sidekicks that need to step up and give him some help.

“Well, it sucks, but we have been here before,” Jalen Williams, OKC’s second-leading scorer said after the loss. “Obviously like the Denver series, honestly around the same thing to be totally honest. We’ll get back to zero and zero, look at what we can do to get better, and it’s first to four. Regardless if it’s the Finals or Round 1, Round 2, you still have to win four games. We’ll take that, and be ready for Game 2.”

Williams struggled mightily most of the game before making a few big plays in the fourth quarter. It still wasn’t a great game for the All-Star, though, recording 17 points on just 6-of-19 from the floor and 1-of-4 from 3-point range.

It looked like he was comfortable on offense, getting to his spots and navigating the defense with ease — but nothing was falling. His jumper was simply ice cold. If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Williams and his playoff performances, though, it’s that he’s always about to bounce back. He has made the most out of his statement games, and now he has another opportunity.

“I think a lot of it is just continuing to have a good process of how you get the shots,” Williams said. “I repped a lot of the shots that I shot tonight over and over and over again consistently throughout my career, this year, the Playoffs.

“All you can do is shoot them and not get scared to shoot them. I think that's the biggest thing. Going into every game confident in my work and go from there.”

Against a team like the Pacers, Gilgeous-Alexander is likely going to score a lot of points. Indiana has given up buckets by the dozen to stars in the postseason, and he got to his spots with complete ease. But as last night highlighted, SGA can’t beat this Pacers team by himself. Even with a near 40-point masterclass, Oklahoma City lost. OKC can count on Gilgeous-Alexander's nightly production, e’s going to need his supporting cast to step up to swing the series.

Williams is the most likely scoring option to get going for the Thunder. If he can calm the nerves and turn it up a notch offensively, Oklahoma City will get back on track in no time.