Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) drives to the basket against the Memphis Grizzlies during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Watch: Thunder's Jalen Williams throws down alley-oop in Game 1 vs. Grizzlies

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Apr 20, 2025 3:25 PM ET

After Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams had the best regular season of his career, he seems to be carrying that over to the playoffs.

Late in the second quarter Sunday, Williams grabbed a steal off a bad pass from Memphis guard Desmond Bane. Williams then passed the ball to guard Aaron Wiggins, who passed it back to him for an alley-oop, which gave Oklahoma City a 63-28 lead.

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and forward Chet Holmgren clearly liked what they saw.

OH MY GOODNESS J-DUB pic.twitter.com/VvVoAiJdEY
— NBA (@NBA) April 20, 2025

SGA & CHET COULDN'T BELIEVE IT https://t.co/CwvtdmkgMl pic.twitter.com/wTaa5LdYzf
— NBA (@NBA) April 20, 2025

Williams is one key reason the Thunder finished with the league's best record (68-14) in the regular season. In 69 games, he averaged career highs in points per game (21.6), rebounds per game (5.3) and assists per game (5.1).

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault indicated he expected Williams to continue showcasing his improved skills in the playoffs.

"He's a completely different player than he was a year ago today," Daigneault told The Oklahoman's Jenni Carlson for a story published Friday. "He's completely different than he was two years ago today.

"He's an evolved version of himself."

The evolved version of Williams could help the Thunder win a championship.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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