OKC Thunder’s Jaylin Williams is Making a Case For Playing Time

After a quick first-round sweep, and a well-earned week-long rest, Oklahoma City’s playoff vibes were sky high. That all changed on Tuesday night, though, as the Thunder gave away a double digit lead late in the game, missed clutch free throws, and fumbled home court advantage. Now, the Thunder will have to steal a game in Denver.

Of course, this team is more than capable of winning a game on the road. There’s a reason why Oklahoma City is still heavily, heavily favored in the overall series. They appeared to be the better team in Game 1, leading by double digits for most of the game, but choking it all away late. It’s certainly disappointing, but it’s not the end of the world at all. The Thunder’s goals still remain ahead of them, and this singular game could be a good wake up call.

The Thunder certainly don’t need to make any massive changes, it was just a one-time collapse that got away from them. But a few rotation switches here and there, like Mark Daigneault likes to do, could be useful. Someone who could benefit from spotty, inconsistent minutes is Jaylin Williams, who has continued to come in cold and make an impact. 

Williams has been a big part of the Thunder’s season, as the team has missed both Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein for chunks of time. He has been the primary backup center, and has performed relatively well in double-big lineups too. He’s a bit smaller and more agile, offering a lot of forward-like traits, making lineups with him as a second big man very intriguing. Holmgren and Hartenstein struggled to play together in Game 1, and maybe Williams could be the answer to some of that.

He was reliable all season long, but really came alive after the All-Star break. Along with multiple triple doubles, he averaged 6.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 20 games post All-Star break. He’s also shot 54.2% from behind the 3-point line.

Williams is almost always wide open on pick-and-pop triples, and has been knocking them down at an automatic rate. He’s not going to slow down the game like a traditional big, and his demeanor fires up both the fans and his teammates.

He doesn’t need to start, or even play consistent minutes. But just a few short stretches of inspiring play from Williams could help the Thunder generate some positive momentum.