OKC Thunder: Can Jalen Williams Keep Improving?

In just his third NBA season, Thunder star Jalen Williams has already reached a place that most players strive for their entire careers.

He earned All-Star status with 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game, sealing himself as the MVP’s offensive running mate. His versatile defense across all five positions earned him a slot on the All-Defense Second Team. And the combination of his scoring and defense punches earned him All-NBA Third Team, more simply known as a group of the best players in the league.

To cap things off, Williams won an NBA title, something even veterans players are still searching for. He went for a crucial 40 points in Game 5, becoming the fifth-youngest player in history to do so, all with a hurt wrist. 

Having seen so much success already, it begs the question: can Williams get even better? The answer lies in his teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s NBA path.

While the league’s Most Valuable Player certainly took a different path — having been traded to OKC following his rookie season with the Clippers — Williams could still learn a thing or two about improvement from him. SGA has seen one of the more rapid ascensions in the NBA, going from a spindly frosh to certain superstar in a matter of years.

The most notable leap in Gilgeous-Alexander was from his fourth to fifth season, where he blossomed from solid star output to a top-five MVP finish, adding seven extra points per game on even better efficiency. Even then he was able to improve a few years later, tightening his game up overall and adding even more winning impact that yielded a Finals MVP trophy.

Williams is already 24, having entered the NBA later than Gilgeous-Alexander due to an extended college career. But the MVP's career arc shows there's still plenty of improvement to be had for Williams. It might not come in the form of counting stats or drastic shifts to his play-style, but work on the fringes — cleaning up shot-selection, further improving defense within the team's scheme and honing certain nuances within play-types — can go a long ways.

The Thunder won’t necessarily need Williams to get better to remain at the NBA’s pinnacle — even just a healthy wrist would likely solve plenty of issues. But even better output from the young guard could make them one of the scarier teams the league has seen in some time.