Jalen Williams Playing With Force Has Fueled His Ascension

All season long, Jalen Williams has played under a microscope. With Chet Holmgren sidelined and the Thunder soaring to the top of the league, the attention to Williams has only grown. The first-year All-Star has a vibrant personality, which helped his brand grow even more. After all the highs and lows of the season, Williams will walk away a star after his Game 5 performance.

Williams has shown flashes of that game sprinkled in throughout the season, and he’s even had performances similar. None can quite compare to what he did on the biggest stage possible, though. Williams knocked down triples, converted flashy finishes around the rim, and did so many of the things we’ve come to expect from him. As he grew all season long and his popularity continued to rise, many fans grew familiar with his game. 

An added feature to his skillset that wasn’t always there during the regular season, though, has been his ability to play with force — which in turn helps him get to the free throw line. He has clearly improved in that category over the course of the playoffs, but the NBA Finals is where it has been the most obvious. It feels like Williams has finally unlocked that missing piece.

“I think the playing with force, yes, it puts pressure on officials to make a call,” Williams said about his ability to get to the line. “At the same time like halfway through the year, this was part of me and Mark talking about what it's going to take. I was figuring out my game a lot of it was not just looking for a foul, being able to finish through contact.

“From there, if you finish through contact and make the shot, you don't really need the foul. That's kind of the way I've been approaching it. Being aggressive, getting to the rim, playing through a lot of the contact. If it's a foul or not. If it is a foul, then great. Just the kind of force that I play with on a daily basis is what I think gets me to the line. Some nights I won't go to the line and still got to finish.”

In the regular season, Williams shot just 4.3 free throws per game. It was clearly something he was workshopping, and early on it was easy to tell that he wanted to play with force and get to the line. Throughout the season, both Williams and head coach Mark Daigneault made comments about the difference in officiating, and expressed confusion in Williams’s lack of calls.

Fast forward to the playoffs, and all the ugly moments of workshopping seem to have been worth it. His per game average has jumped to 5.6 free throws in 21 contests, and a good deal of those fouls have been and-ones.

In the NBA Finals, though, he has taken it a step further. It really feels like something has started to click. He's playing exclusively down hill, letting the game come to him, and it's equalling contact in return. Williams isn't seeking out fouls, but driving with confidence at the rim and trying to finish. In five Finals games so far, Williams is averaging 9.4 free throw attempts. The increase in both free throws and aggression has translated to 25.8 points per game.

Williams's ascension is one of the main reasons Oklahoma City is a game away from eternal greatness. This Thunder team needs just one more heroic performance from the third-year star.