OKC Thunder: Cody Williams’ First Clash With Jalen Williams Revealed

The Oklahoma City Thunder will see the brother duo square off early in the season.

May 18, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) dunks during the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks in game six of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

As the NBA unveiled the 2024-25 season schedule on Thursday, everyone raced to the obvious questions. How many back to back sets does team x play or how many National TV games does team Y enjoy, but each year there are underrated games and storylines to follow on the calendar. 

With the Oklahoma City Thunder poised to be one of the top teams in the NBA, currently the odds on favorites to win the Western Conference and only lag behind the Boston Celtics for NBA Title odds. This has lead to some obvious big games on the docket from facing off with fellow contenders all the way down to playing the Spurs on National Television three times to showcase the budding Chet Holmgren-Victor Wembanyama rivalry. 

Though, lost in the hoopla of the 82 game slate is one of the most interesting games on the schedule coming Dec. 3 in the Paycom Center when the Utah Jazz come to town to take on the OKC Thunder. 

While on paper from the outside looking in this game represents a projected tanker vs a projected title team, but the intrigue is deeper than surface level. 

Of course, an early date will the Jazz is poised to look much different than the rain check tilts post All-Star break where Utah is in line to conveniently end the season of key contributors and turn their attention to Cooper Flagg highlights and lottery balls. 

However, even with Flagg on the line, Dec. 3 is a bit early to pack it in even for the most brash of tankers - which Utah is not - that allows the Bricktown faithful to see the likes of Lauri Markkanen and company at full strength. 

This game more importantly represents the first matchup between Jalen Williams and Cody Williams in the NBA as the Colorado product was selected by the Jazz with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. 

The duo has made it obvious how much that moment will mean to them and added an extra layer on top of the regular season and additional NBA Cup component of it. 

Despite the projected records, you’ll be hard pressed to find a game more meaningful than the triple threat of this clash with Utah. 

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