Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams Shine in Minutes Together

In the Oklahoma City Thunder's Game 2 loss, the minutes the two big man shared provided a boost to its lineup.

May 9, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Derrick Jones Jr. (55) shoots as / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Seeing Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams on the same court during the regular season was a rarity for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The big men only played 92 minutes together throughout the entire year, but with changing game plans in the playoffs, the two have started to share the court increasingly more often. It spiked in Oklahoma City's Game 2 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, considerably in the first quarter.

It was an underwhelming night as a whole for Holmgren, only mustering 11 points, six rebounds and six assists on 4-of-12 shooting in 36 minutes. But when paired up up with Williams, the two looked great together. "J-Will" only received 14 minutes of action, but put up a solid line of eight points, four rebounds and two assists on 3-of-6 shooting.

"He spreads the floor, I'm able to spread the floor pretty good...it doesn't clog up the paint," Williams said on his pairing with Holmgren. "I like moving the ball...with a two-big lineup, you got Chet down low."

For their size and position, both centers play a unique brand of basketball. They can each space the floor at a high-level compared to other players at their position, while also adding a strong defensive impact to lead the Thunder's interior defense. This completely complements each other's games, which is rare for a starting and backup big on most teams.

Against a Mavericks team with a strong frontcourt trio in P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively II, playing Holmgren and Williams at the same time helps address matchups. Especially when Oklahoma City needs rebounding, increasing the size without lacking anything offensively is a nice advantage to have.

Going forward, the two should only begin playing together more. The pairing clearly worked against Dallas, and if it reaches the Western Conference Finals, the Thunder will have to go up against either Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon or Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert — two elite frontcourt duos that have stomped through the West.

The 2-big lineup would only become more crucial in those hypothetical series, and with results starting to become reality, there's a chance it becomes a prevalent lineup to the rotation.

Expect to see more Holmgren and Williams as Oklahoma City works it way back to finish Dallas in round two.

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