OKC Thunder Complete Storybook Season Despite Inexperience

Jaylin Williams embodies the Oklahoma City Thunder's culture and philosophy to a tee. He has improved significantly since being selected as the No. 34 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, showcasing outside shooting he did not possess in two years at Arkansas and picking up three triple-doubles in nine starts during the 2024-25 season. He is an above-average passer for his position and gave Oklahoma City much more consistent rebounding and defense in his third campaign.

Williams is perhaps just as impactful off the court. Visible bench reactions after big teammate plays, postgame interview shenanigans and even a championship parade F-bomb have made the big man as beloved to Thunder fans as anyone else on the team. His productivity and camaraderie resulted in signing a three-year, $24 million deal with Oklahoma City on his 23rd birthday Sunday afternoon.

Williams is one of two players, along with Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan, who wears No. 6 after the NBA retired it league-wide to honor 11-time champion Bill Russell.

That number also represents how many playoff wins the Thunder secured in its previous three seasons, which all came in 2024. It swept the New Orleans Pelicans and took two games from the eventual Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks. Six is the second-fewest number among the last 10 title-winners, reflecting Oklahoma City's relative inexperience.

The Thunder won more playoff games (16) in its 2025 championship run than in its last eight seasons combined (13). Only the 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers, which did not make the playoffs in their three previous campaigns, entered the postseason with less recent success than the 2024-25 Thunder. Those Lakers had the highest average age (29.5) in the NBA, signed LeBron James in the 2018 offseason and traded for Anthony Davis in the 2019 offseason — making them a sensible exception to the rule.

Oklahoma City did not add any superstars or benefit from widespread experience across the roster. It developed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort methodically across the last six years, drafted Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams in the 2022 lottery and signed Isaiah Hartenstein in 2024's free agency to complete a potent starting lineup. Neither Hartenstein, Alex Caruso nor Kenrich Williams, the three oldest Thunder players, were in the NBA during the franchise's last Western Conference Finals run (2016).

Youth and inexperience are a logical pair across professional sports. Only the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers were a younger championship squad than the current Thunder. Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton, Maurice Lucas and Bob Gross helped Portland defy the odds with tremendous interior scoring, offensive rebounding and defense. Oklahoma City exhibited even more star power, defensive dominance and resiliency, as evidenced by an NBA-record 19-2 after losses, on its way to 84 total wins.

An uncommon team, indeed.