OKC Thunder: Jaylin Williams Could Take Leap With Summer League Development

Oklahoma City’s Summer League roster is full of young talent, including key players from last year’s Play-In team.

With a large majority of the team holding roles on the regular season roster, it will give guys a chance to step up and grow. Incoming second-year Jaylin Williams became a major piece to the Thunder’s lineup last season as he eventually took over the starting center role.

Williams, a 2022 second round pick, started 36 of 49 games that he played in. While Williams was a key player, he didn’t jump off the page offensively. He averaged just under six points per game, but did show some flashes.

Defensively is where he made his biggest impact. He averaged just under five rebounds, but was key on the OKC interior. He was keen at drawing charges and creating extra possessions for OKC.

Williams struggled at times shooting the ball, he finished with a 43% mark from the field, but did shoot 40% from 3-point range. Williams averaged 2.3 attempts per game from beyond the arc. 

The Summer League provides Williams a chance to hone in on some development and work on his game against other younger players. With a stacked roster and the Thunder’s interior depth getting deeper and healthier. Entering his second season William’s has the chance to take a step forward and continue to work on his offense while continuing to improve defensively.

Williams is slightly undersized to be a true center, but continued work and playing a couple of different roles in a lineup could help him work into the rotation in the regular season in bigger roles. Williams defensive prowess, especially at drawing charges from both driving guards and posts, gives the Thunder a solid piece down low.

Another season playing in the Summer League will give the former Arkansas Razorback more reps in live game action, which will be beneficial as his role may be more limited in the regular season with Chet Holmgren’s return.