Jalen Williams is Blossoming Into a Star at the Perfect Time

Oklahoma City has a legit No. 2 option next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and his development has been mesmerizing.

Oklahoma City has seen several homegrown draft picks grow up to be stars throughout the history of the franchise. Obviously, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook fall into that category, and James Harden to an extent. Serge Ibaka and Steven Adams never turned into stars, but blossomed into very good NBA players.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, although not drafted by the Thunder, turned into a superstar in Oklahoma City after playing one season with the Clippers. He's a legitimate MVP option and is putting together an unbelievably impressive year.

All of the Thunder's attention right now is on Chet Holmgren, who is establishing himself as the Rookie of the Year frontrunner over generational prospect Victor Wembanyama. He has been an All-Star caliber player and a big piece to the Thunder's puzzle.

But one thing is certain. Jalen Williams deserves more attention, and he's blossoming into a star right before our eyes. His ascension has been an underrated part of the Thunder's hot start to the season, and if it weren't for all the attention surrounding SGA and Holmgren, he might just be getting All-Star attention.

On Thursday night in Oklahoma City's massive win over the Knicks, Jalen Williams set a career-high of 36 points on 13-of-17 shooting and 5-of-5 from 3-point range.

Williams finished the 2022-23 season on a wildly efficient tear, and there were questions regarding whether he could keep that up. He has been even more efficient this season on a higher volume. On the season, he's averaging 18.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 52.2% from the floor and 42% from 3-point range. He's also shooting 87.4% from the free throw line.

In the month of December, Williams is averaging 19.6 points, 53.8% from the floor, 52.8% from the 3-point line and 87.9% from the free throw line.

His start to the season has been jaw-dropping, and he deserves a lot of the credit for the Thunder's rise. His trajectory is headed straight up to the sky, and his ceiling is still completely unknown.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.