OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – NOVEMBER 12: Jalen Williams #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder takes a shot during pregame warmups against the Los Angeles Lakers at Paycom Center on November 12, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
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Despite the 15-1 record, the Oklahoma City Thunder still have significant room for improvement. Oklahoma City owns the league’s best record and best net rating, and has actually been more statistically dominant than last season. Yet this group could take things to an entirely different level very soon.
That’s because Jalen Williams appears close to returning from the wrist surgery he had over the summer, setting the stage for his 2025-26 season debut in the near future. Other pieces on the roster will keep improving organically, but Williams’ return instantly elevates the ceiling.
Offensively, the stability he provides is massive. Ajay Mitchell, Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren have each taken noticeable steps forward as scorers and playmakers, but this team still needs a bona fide secondary option who brings it every night.
Mitchell has been a great scorer most nights. Hartenstein has popped at times. Holmgren has had big performances even if his scoring volume fluctuates.
But Williams gets his shots every night. He’s an alpha-level scorer who would be the No. 1 option on plenty of teams. He just happens to play next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the best scorer in the league.
Williams’ versatility matters just as much as the box score production. The Thunder shape-shifts depending on the matchup, and Williams can play 1 through 5. He allows OKC to go extremely small with him playing next to Holmgren in the frontcourt, or bigger with him in the backcourt alongside Gilgeous-Alexander.
Last season Williams averaged 21.6 points and 5.1 assists, which means he regularly generated 30 to 35 points of offense on his own. After a deep playoff run and an entire offseason refining his left hand, given he couldn’t really use his right due to the surgery, he’s expected to make another jump. When you score 40 in the NBA Finals and make an All-NBA team, the confidence carries over.
He also helps solves a real issue, which is perimeter shooting. Oklahoma City has struggled from three this year just like it did during times in last year’s regular season and most of the playoffs. Isaiah Joe’s return has helped, and Gilgeous-Alexander has snapped out of a slow start, but the team still needs another high-level shooter, which Williams provides.
Defensively is where his star power becomes undeniable. He’s one of the most versatile defenders in the entire league and arguably the most versatile on this roster. Last season he guarded everyone from Ja Morant and Kyrie Irving to Luka Doncic to Victor Wembanyama. Very few players in the NBA can claim that range. On a team with half a dozen NBA All-Defensive Team caliber players, adding Williams back into the mix enhances a defense that already projects to be historic yet again. He earned NBA All-Defensive Team honors last year and will still play at that level even if he won’t hit the awards threshold this season.
There may be a brief adjustment period as Williams reintegrates, but within a few games the Thunder will settle into a new rhythm. In a couple weeks, this group could be operating at a level no one in the league has seen from them yet. Any flaw Oklahoma City has shown through its 15-1 start won’t be fully erased by Williams, but almost everything gets better. He fills gaps, raises the floor, raises the ceiling and makes an already phenomenal team even more well-rounded and even harder to beat when everything clicks.