OKC Thunder’s Jalen Williams Improving With Every Passing Game

A season ago, Jalen Williams ascended into rare air with both his accomplishments and individual performances. The Thunder’s secondary star completed the trifecta — All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive Team — while also completing one of the most impressive performances of the season by dropping 40 points in the NBA Finals.

Oklahoma City knew he’d be really good, spending a lottery pick on him and inserting him into the starting lineup very early in his career. But it was hard to predict just how good he’d become. He’s now one of the NBA’s premier two-way players, and Oklahoma City is very lucky to have him.

To start the season, Williams was injured and Oklahoma City certainly missed his presence on the court. The do-it-all wing left a hole on the court, and even though the Thunder coasted to a franchise record-breaking start, it was clear that they’d need him if they wanted to repeat. When he was set to return, there were questions surrounding his implementation into the lineup, and how he would gel with a team that was firing on all cylinders.

Now that he’s back, he’s working to put those questions to rest. With each passing game, Williams is settling in. He’s starting to look more and more like himself on the court. In fact, every game has been better than the last, and he has found a way to improve with each outing.

In his first game, he was understandably rusty but still had a big impact on the game, totaling 11 points, eight assists, and four rebounds on 3-of-12 shooting. In his second outing, on the road at Portland, Williams added 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting. His world class defense was on display with three blocks. On Tuesday night, though, Williams looked like the version of himself that Oklahoma City got last season.

He poured in 22 points, six assists, and three rebounds on 9-of-16 from the floor — close to his averages from a season ago. No matter what his stats are, he’s always making a high impact on the floor, but Tuesday night was a step in the right direction. He looked like he hadn’t missed a beat from last year’s Finals — and it only took two games to get his feet wet.

Oklahoma City did a fantastic job weathering the storm with Williams sidelined, but it was clear. This team needed its second star to reach its ceiling. While it might take some time to fully gel, and for Williams to reach the level that he’s accustomed to playing at, it’s already starting to look natural. He might miss out on individual awards because of the game count, but he’s one of the NBA’s premier players, and he’ll continue to show it on the biggest stage.

Anyone who thought Williams returning wouldn’t make an impact was clearly mistaken. His addition to the Thunder’s lineup changes everything, and it only makes this team more dominant.