Jalen Williams Third Quarter Run What OKC Thunder Need in Postseason

The Oklahoma City Thunder saw Jalen Williams dominate the third quarter to help the team pull away from the Indiana Pacers. If Williams is able to continue this stretch in the playoffs, the Thunder will be able to stake its claim to a title.

Mar 29, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) drives between Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) and forward Pascal Siakam (43) during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder have things wrapped up in the regular season, the final eight games are just a formality. The Thunder have the Division on ice, the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference clinched and are in the driver's seat for the league's top record sitting at 62-12.

Oklahoma City will turn its sights now to the postseason, where they will be a popular pick to win the Western Conference and punch its ticket to its first NBA Finals since the 2011-12 campaign when the club fell in five games to the Miami Heat's three headed monster of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh who rattled off four straight wins after the Thunder grabbed Game one in OKC.

However, like any club with championship aspirations, there are still things that need to break right for the Thunder to fulfill its goals of hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June.

One of those things is the continued development of Jalen Williams. The third year swingman who landed on his first All-Star squad this season and is entrusted to run the show in the minutes where superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is off the floor.

The Santa Clara product had a lackluster showing on the offensive side of the floor in the Thunder's second round series against the Dallas Mavericks leaving questions about how he will handle that enviorment in his second go around.

While that situation has been placed under a microscope this season, look no further than the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers for how good the Thunder can be in such scenarios.

Williams commanded the game as an on-ball force. Twirling behind the back dimes to Isaiah Joe to cash in a triple, whipping strikes to Cason Wallace in the corner in transition to splash in an open triple and darting pocket passes to Kenrich Williams around the defense in the pick-and-roll to put constant rim pressure on the Pacers and create easy points for the home team.

The 23-year-old finished the third frame with 10 points, three assists and two rebounds while shooting 100% from the floor and getting to the charity stripe for five attempts in the period thanks to his relentless downhill attack.

"I thought that was impressive. If you think back to some of the stuff we were talking about before the turn of the new year, in terms of his force, we were talking about it relative to the free throw line but really it is a bigger picture thing. Playing downhill, making people deal with his physicality and speed, combination of power, speed and physicality. He is a monster and making people deal with that is something that is important for him. I thought that stretch in the third was picture-perfect...He made them deal with him, was on the gas and that just to me is a great developmental and tangible thing. He might've had plays like that early in the year, he didn't have stretches like that where he literally dominated a stretch of the game," Daigneault said.

In total, the All-Star posted 18 points, two rebounds, six assists and 50% shooting from the floor in 30 minutes of action in the Thunder's 132-111 win over Indiana.

If Oklahoma City could bottle up this level of play from Williams, the path to success in the postseason gets even more clear.

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