Thunder Rookie Jalen Williams’ Competitive Maturity Helps In NBA Transition

With their third lottery pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Jalen Williams at No. 12 overall. While he was one of the oldest players taken in the top half of the first round, the additional years of wisdom and experience have proven extremely valuable early in his NBA career.

Williams has now played 16 games (6 starts) in the league, while averaging 9.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 24.6 minutes per contest. He’s shouting 50% from the floor and has flashed the upside of a legitimate three-level scorer.

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Furthermore, the 21-year-old has been a effective defender as well. Standing at 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, he’s got the frame, strength and footwork to defend four positions at a high level.

While the defensive upside of Williams might be surprising to Thunder fans, that end of the floor is actually what initially got him on the court in college as a freshman.

“He actually first made it to the court for us, based on what he was doing on the defensive end of the floor,” Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek told me.

This versatility has been a huge reason for him playing a ton of minutes despite being a rookie, as Thunder coach Mark Daigneault can play him at either guard position, as well as on the wing or as a stretch four.

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The numbers Williams has posted thus far are certainly worthy of NBA All-Rookie consideration. When comparing his production against the players selected in his draft class, he’s near the top of the list in most major categories.

• Points: 8th
• Rebounds: 13th
• Assists: 3rd
• FG%: T-3rd
• FT%: T-5th
• Steals: T-6th
• Blocks: T-10th
• Minutes: 8th

The maturity and IQ of Williams has resulted in him becoming an impactful NBA player from almost day one. He truly understands what it takes to be a professional on and off the floor and always looks poised. Relative to other first year players across the league, he rarely makes rookie mistakes and the moment never seems to overwhelm him.

“I think the biggest thing that has impressed me with him is he’s kind of like unflinching in all the storms of the early part of the season,” said Daigneault last week. “Things happen fast for young players on the court. But there’s also the emotional volatility of success or failure. All of these experiences are really emotional. The stakes are high for these guys. And the earlier you are in your career, the more you catastrophes over the bad experiences and the more you embrace the good experiences. He just really hasn’t flinched in success or failure yet. He seems to have a competitive maturity that has struck me.“

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This maturity and poise has resulted in Williams often being in closing lineups with the game on the line. This goes to show the trust of the staff in his ability to make the right decisions.

Not only has his transition to the league been smooth, but he’s also already improving. Williams continues to show new things with each passing game and does a great job of building upon previous performances.

“Each year he’s added dimensions to his game,” said Sendek of Williams’ ability to improve through time. “Each year, dating back to when he was a young high school player, he returns the next year is significantly better. This isn’t a static player.”

It’s like he’s adding a new building block every day and is gradually improving and expanding his game.

As of today, Williams is proving to be a legitimate part of this young Oklahoma City core. He’s been impactful from the day he entered the facility and has only improved through the first 20 games of the 2022-23 season.

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“He’s done a really good job,” Daigneault said of his rookie. “The main reason why we are so optimistic is he’s a quick study and he plays really hard and competes. That alone right there gives you a really good chance to improve and improve quickly.”

Moving forward, Williams will look to earn a permanent spot in the starting lineup as he carves out more of a role in the rotation.