Kenrich Williams is OKC Thunder’s Unheralded Leader

When Oklahoma City needed to get back to the basics, it was certainly nice to have a guy who knows and understands the basics like the back of his hand.

Ever since the Thunder decided to hit the reset button after the Chris Paul led playoff run, Kenrich Williams has been the culture setter. And it certainly appears intentional looking back on it now, as the fan favorite is still contributing in Oklahoma City six years later. 

In the middle of a slump, it looked like Oklahoma City was about to drop another game in rare blowout fashion. Everyone knows how talented this team is — the all-time wins record was legitimately on the table after a 24-1 start. But it seemed like they had gotten away from playing the Thunder’s brand of basketball — one inspired by hustle, grit, and effort. A brand that Kenrich Williams helped set the standard for.

And so, when the Thunder desperately needed to get back to the basics and what made this young team great over the last three seasons, it makes sense that Williams is the one they turned to. And he delivered in the biggest way.

“I said this after the game, but I was super happy for him,” Mark Daigneault said. “He is 100% of the time inside the team. He’s always competing in his minutes — whatever they are. He’s always grateful, and embraces his role whatever it happens to be at that point in time. He made a couple shots last night and I subbed him shortly after he made them — for rotational purposes, had nothing to do with his performance, just the plan.