Stiles Points: Jalen Williams Continues To Be a Difference Maker for the OKC Thunder

On Sunday, the Oklahoma City Thunder earned a much-needed afternoon win against the Sacramento Kings. This stopped a two-game losing streak for Oklahoma City, ended a three-game afternoon skid, and stopped an eight-game drought against the Kings in one 48-minute game. 

A big reason for the win, which pulls the Thunder within half a game of the top record in the Western Conference, was former lottery pick Jalen Williams' contributions. 

The Santa Clara product has been a difference-maker since stepping foot in Bricktown as a rookie a season ago. This year, the Sophomore has vastly improved, becoming one of the NBA's best fourth-quarter scorers, leading the bench unit, dominating at all three levels offensively, and making significant strides as a defender. 

This season, Williams is averaging 18 points, four rebounds, and four assists per game, along with 1.5 stocks per tilt. He shoots 53 percent from the floor, 45 percent from beyond the arc, and 80 percent from the charity stripe. 

Williams is turning in other-worldly scoring efficiency, shooting 69 percent at the rim, 47 percent in the mid-range, 53 percent on corner triples, and 44 percent on non-corner 3-point looks. This includes 41 percent on catch-and-shoot looks.

The versatile swingman has performed at a high level in isolation, as a pick-and-roll ball handler, working off the ball as a cutter, finishing in transition, curling off hand-offs, and keeping the half-court offense in a groove during staggered bench units. 

To go along with his on-court performance, Williams provides a ton of energy as the emotional leader of the Thunder. Oklahoma City has a lot of quiet confidence; Williams is a loud impassioned leader that sparks his teammates and the fans. That is a natural role for him and something you notice a drop off without him. 

The 22-year-old is a difference-maker for OKC. In games where he scores 20-plus points, the Thunder own a 13-8 record. When Williams scores exactly ten or fewer points, Oklahoma City is just 1-3; The second-year rising star is just scratching the surface of his NBA potential. 

Stiles Points

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is elite at deceleration, which has made him one of the best rim finishers at the guard position. Watching Gilgeous-Alexander slow down late in the paint, throwing off shot blockers' timings, displays how he is able to get to his spots and the shots he wants at will. 
• Lu Dort's ability to draw offensive fouls in big moments swings games. Dort is third in the NBA in offensive fouls drawn, mainly due to his ability to anticipate screens. The undrafted defensive ace is able to launch into screens before the screener is set to get calls, attack the outside of the screeners' hips to open them up and earn a call, and blow up pick-and-roll action to create stops for the Thunder. 
• Chet Holmgren should continue to play a part in the Thunder's playmaking duties. When defenses pressure Gilgeous-Alexander, having Holmgren as a safety net is huge for the Thunder. His ability to rip the cords from beyond the arc set up his teammates with high-level passes and take opposing centers off the dribble, which results in some easy offense for the Thunder, as it did on Sunday against Sacramento.
• Despite not having eye-popping stats, Josh Giddey made improvements against Sacramento. While not a perfect game, Giddey was a much more active cutter which set up shots for himself and others, rather than just camping in the corner. The Thunder also let him initiate some actions more, which, of course, helps him given his skillset. Ultimately, the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft still has to improve his rim finishing to capitalize on this role, but it functionally looked better against the Kings. 
• Mixing up Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams is getting old and exposing just how lazy the vast majority of the sports media industry is in their work. In year two, and with an elementary concept such as two people with the same name, it should not still trip up the world on who scored 32 points against the Kings. However, as recently as yesterday, the supposed worldwide leader in sports, ESPN, got it wrong. While it is funny they play on the same team, it takes less than an ounce of effort to get them right. In sports, you have so many differentiators. From appearance, spelling, Jersey numbers, and position, all the way to the college or hometowns to ensure you are discussing the right one. Covering sports is the best job in the world. Take a little pride in it. 

Song of the Day: Viva Las Vegas by Elvis Presley.