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The 12th overall pick from last summer’s NBA Draft has impressed to quickly join OKC’s rotation climb up the ladder of his rookie class standings
Despite Chet Holmgren’s season-ending injury over the summer, the Oklahoma City Thunder are still rostering a potential All-Rookie Team honoree. Holmgren, who they selected No. 2, was not their lone lottery pick. At 12th overall, they also nabbed Jalen Williams, who required scant time to assert himself as an integral member of the rotation.
Through six weeks and 18 games, the former Santa Clara Bronco is seventh among rookies in total minutes. Across 25.1 minutes per game, he’s tallying 10.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 rebounds on 60.1 percent true shooting (2.7 points above league average). Only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (35.8), Lu Dort (30.5) and Josh Giddey (30.5) average more minutes per game for Oklahoma City than the 21-year-old rookie — and for good reason.
The Thunder are loaded with youthful talent and Williams has quickly risen up the ranks to garner playing time. Much like Gilgeous-Alexander, he’s a dynamite interior scorer, netting 65.1 percent of attempts in the paint and 62.1 percent of all his two-pointers. At 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-2(!!) wingspan, Williams applies his size and length as a slasher and finisher. He’s adept converting through contact and can wrap his limbs around oncoming defenders to score from funky angles.
Head coach Mark Daigneault’s offensive scheme incorporates significant off-ball movement, particularly with cuts, and Williams is hip to the trade. According to Synergy, he’s generating 1.563 points per possession (84th percentile) on cuts and he’s keenly aware about timing his dashes inside at opportune moments. He’s also scoring 1.37 PPP (94th percentile) on runners, where his silky touch is evident.
Susceptible to stunts or point-of-attack pressure, Williams’ high handle limits his slashing volume at times. Plus, Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey understandably receive the majority of on-ball reps. But his pacing, body control and touch enable him to win downhill. He almost glides through space to travel from Point A to Point B without turning on the accelerator or busting out Inspector Gadget strides.
According to Cleaning The Glass, 44 percent of his shots occur at the rim (91st percentile among wings) and 44 percent of his makes are unassisted (59th percentile). He’s shooting 71 percent there (81st percentile). His marriage of volume, creation and efficacy are an impressive trio, especially for a rookie. The dude’s a 21-year-old, 6-foot-6 ball-handler with a 7-foot-2 wingspan who reads angles shrewdly, scores proficiently anywhere in the paint and weaponizes a sagacious cadence to get there routinely.
His off-ball instincts, at that size, with his vast finishing package, ensure he doesn’t disappear when his peers commandeer possessions. He’s already a fairly diverse complementary scorer. That dynamic is suitable alongside a preeminent scorer in Gilgeous-Alexander, who routinely breaks down defenses, and a preeminent passer in Giddey, who hastily identifies and frequents openings few others see.
Williams’ cutting illuminates some of his high-level feel. More emblematic of that trait is his processing speed as a passer. He seamlessly reacts to sudden passing angles and opportunities quicker than the majority of rookies still acclimating to the complexities of NBA basketball. Much like his own cutting advances Daigneault’s vision, his comfort responding to cuts and slinging accurate reads means Daigneault can trust him to capably assume some playmaking duties.
On any given possession, an assortment of information may confront him, yet he refuses to let it overstimulate him. As he wiggles toward or into the paint, he intently scans the floor and is primed to amend his plan if a teammate emerges open. The swiftness with which he delivers these passes is noteworthy for any secondary handler, let alone one whose NBA career hasn’t celebrated a two-month anniversary.
After Williams shot 35.2 percent (90-of-256) beyond the arc at Santa Clara, including 39.6 percent his final season, the long ball has escaped him to the tune of 29.5 percent in 2022-23. He hasn’t relied on it, however, and is 14-of-27 (51.9 percent) on two-point pull-ups, according to NBA.com. His release, although a low and slight push shot, is fluid and consistent. I’m pretty optimistic that those types of midrange looks, when defenders sag off in fear of his driving, will be a viable long-term alternative for his paint production while he progresses as a ball-handler.
Not only is he showcasing the versatility to elevate an offense in various ways, he’s looking like a multifaceted defensive cog too. Whether it’s occupying passing and driving lanes, rotating for disciplined closeouts, disrupting the interior as a helper or combating drives on the ball, Williams has flashed competency across an array of roles thus far. He’s attentive off the ball, rangy and fluid laterally on the ball, and deploys that 7-foot-2 wingspan to the benefit of his squad.
Williams has the makings of a rangy, indispensable, connective two-way forward. He will not anchor either side of the floor to prolific results, but he will assuredly amplify them in the proper role, one that doesn’t have to be rigid. He can compound advantages offensively and adhere to different defensive responsibilities, which simplifies the life of those around him.
The Thunder are accumulating a hefty collection of fascinating, youthful talent. Presumably the foundation is Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and Giddey. Beyond that, it’s a bit hazy. Many dudes should get shots somewhere. It’s a matter of whether Oklahoma City is the most logical fit to actualize that definition of somewhere.
Among those leading candidates is Williams, who presents discernible, valuable skills and punctuates them with welcomed malleability. Ranked eight in the latest NBA Rookie Ladder, Williams is out-performing his draft slot and is on track to be one of the surprise stars of his class. An All-Rookie Team nod this spring could confirm his status in that foundational group.
