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Jun 16, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) shoots a layup against Indiana Pacers center Tony Bradley (13) during the third quarter in Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

OKC Thunder 2024-25 Season in Review: Jalen Williams

Originally posted on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI
By Ethan Baca | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 6:42 PM ET

Third-year forward Jalen Williams proved himself as an invaluable No. 2 option on a championship team last season, providing secondary scoring and versatile defense while playing as hard as anyone else on the court.

Williams registered 2,237 minutes across 69 regular-season appearances (all starts) and 796 minutes across 23 playoff appearances (all starts). He played at least 25 minutes in 87 total games, at least 30 minutes in 71 games, at least 35 minutes in 36 games and at least 40 minutes twice. The Thunder went 55-14 in his regular-season action.

During the regular season, Williams averaged a career-high 21.6 points on 48.4% shooting, a career-high 5.3 rebounds (0.9 offensive), a career-high 5.1 assists, a career-high 1.6 steals and a career-high 0.7 blocks.

Oklahoma City's Swiss Army knife experienced an efficiency decline with increased usage, shooting 441-for-828 (53.3%) on twos, 124-for-340 (36.5%) on threes and 236-for-299 (78.9%) on free throws.

Williams averaged 21.4 points on 44.9% shooting, 5.5 rebounds (1.0 offensive), 4.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.4 blocks throughout the playoffs. He committed one or zero turnovers in 24 regular-season games (34.8%) and 12 playoff games (54.5%).

In addition to his first career championship, the forward earned his first career All-Star appearance as a reserve, his first career All-NBA selection on the Third Team and his first career All-Defensive selection on the Second Team.

Williams experienced seven official minor injuries during the regular season, missing 13 contests, but did not sit out any postseason games despite suffering a torn ligament in his right wrist. He underwent surgery on July 3 and will be re-evaluated in about three and a half weeks.

Play of the Year: Steal and Alley-Oop Slam in Game 1 Rout of Memphis Grizzlies

The Thunder welcomed the Grizzlies to town for its first 2025 playoff game on April 20, greeting them with a 20-0 run shortly after the second quarter began. Williams scored six points and made three assists to Isaiah Hartenstein during the barrage, which turned a 13-point game into a 55-22 Oklahoma City advantage.

Williams' best sequence occurred two and a half minutes after the run concluded. He intercepted a poor Desmond Bane baseline pass, drove up-court and threw down an acrobatic alley-oop from Aaron Wiggins in the blink of an eye.

Williams finished the night with 20 points on 10-for-16 shooting, six assists, five rebounds (two offensive), three steals, a block and a game-high +44 plus-minus.

Game of the Year: June 16 vs. Indiana Pacers

While not quite on the same level as its two Game 7s, Game 5 of the NBA Finals was Oklahoma City's unquestioned third most important game of the season. The winner received two chances to secure an inaugural title, with one home and road game awaiting. Fortunately for the Thunder, Williams achieved a career-defining performance with such high stakes.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder tallied 40 points, six rebounds (one offensive), four assists, a steal and a +14 plus-minus in 35 minutes. He shot 11-for-20 on 2-pointers, making eight shots in the restricted area, 3-for-5 on 3-pointers and 9-for-12 at the free-throw line.

Williams did his scoring damage in the flow of the offense, as just three of his 14 field goals were unassisted. These included a difficult banked-in jumper in the third quarter's final seconds and a half-spin fadeaway for his final points.

Statistic of the Year: Defensive Versatility

According to CraftedNBA, Williams guarded small forwards 24.0% of the time, power forwards 24.0% of the time, shooting guards 19.9% of the time, centers 17.9% of the time and point guards 14.2% of the time throughout his third campaign. This distribution gave him a league-best 98.7 defensive versatility score out of 100.

Williams guarded 45.1% of opponents' rim attempts while he was on the floor (93rd percentile) and held them to 10.9% below their average shooting (96th percentile), utilizing his 7-foot-2 wingspan and filled-out frame to even play as the Thunder's center at certain points.

Williams logged a +3.26 LEBRON (No. 12 in NBA), +3.6 estimated plus-minus (No. 16 in NBA), and 4.0 box plus-minus (No. 23 in NBA, min. 500 minutes) last season. He enters his fourth season with a +2.4 DARKO daily plus-minus (No. 33 in NBA).

On July 13, the 24-year-old signed a five-year, $239.9 million rookie maximum extension through the 2030-31 campaign. Williams will receive a larger deal if he makes an All-NBA team next season.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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