Thunder’s Young Stars Improvements That Can Lead to a Repeat

Jalen Williams Improvements

Williams is the type of player who doesn’t have many weaknesses in his game, as he does a ton well. He plays great defense and can cover positions 1-4 and some fives, and on offense, he is a three-level scorer. However, there is one major improvement that he can make, and that is just being more consistent with everything he does. This wasn’t as much of a concern in the regular season as it was in the postseason, but there were times when Williams would just be non-existent for the Thunder. He would struggle to score or be too passive at times in the postseason.

For example, in the Memphis series, he had four great games of scoring over 20 or more points. Then, in the Nuggets series, he struggled a ton and only put together two complete games in that series. After that, in the next two series, he was more consistent but still had games where he struggled. Williams plays a lot like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Shai is one of the most consistent stars we have seen. If Williams can get close to that level of consistency, the one-two punch of him and Gilgeous-Alexander will be even more deadly next season.

Chet Holmgren Improvements

Holmgren is a little bit different than Williams as there are more areas he can improve on. The first one is getting stronger. This one isn’t going to happen overnight. However, if he can just keep getting stronger and stronger every year, it will make his life easier in the NBA. There was a big difference from Chet’s rookie year to this year, as you could tell he got stronger and played more physical. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough as he got pushed around a little still and will need to continue to add muscle and strength. This could also help him stay healthy as well as he will be entering his fourth year and already has two major injuries.

The second area of improvement is getting a mid-range game. Holmgren’s scoring either comes from the three-point line or driving to the hoop and getting a layup, or getting fouled. Adding a mid-range game will make him more versatile and harder to cover. There are tons of times throughout the game where a smaller defender is guarding Chet, and if he can just get the ball in the high post and just turn around and shoot over the smaller defender, and add that type of shot to his game it will do help him a ton on the offensive side. Finally, just becoming a more consistent three-point shooter in the playoffs, as he went from a 37.9% shooter in the regular season to a 29.7% shooter in the playoffs.

The Thunder’s Ability to Repeat Will Be Hard

The NBA is in a new era where there is more parity than it has ever had, as there have been seven different champions in the last seven years. The Thunder’s chances of repeating will be hard; however, they are in the best position to do it out of those other six teams. However, there are still variables out of their control, as injuries could play a factor; they now have a target on their back, and while the drive is still there, it may not be like it was since they already won.

The Thunder have built their team around their big three of Chet, Jalen, and Shai pretty well. However, there is a lot of pressure on those three to create most of the possessions on offense. If Jalen and Chet don’t improve enough, that could come back to hurt them in next year’s playoff run with more of a target on their back. However, if Chet and Jalen can make those improvements listed above and become more of a consistent threat on the offensive side, it will improve the Thunder’s chances drastically of being able to repeat as NBA Champions.

The Last Word

The Thunder are set up perfectly to have a chance to contend for a title for the next 10 years. However, two key things need to happen if they want a chance of becoming the next dynasty. The first one is how well they manage this offseason with important financial decisions coming up. The second is if the Thunder’s two young stars of Jalen and Chet, can make significant improvements to help take even more pressure away from Shai. If these things can happen, then OKC will be set up perfectly to become the next dynasty in the NBA. Regardless, the Thunder fans and organization will forever enjoy and cherish this championship as they earned it the right way with patience and growing homegrown talent.