OKC Thunder Needs Jalen Williams to Be An Aggressive Scorer

Oklahoma City needs Jalen Williams to keep his foot on the gas in big games.

Dec 19, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) is guarded by Orlando Magic guard Cory Joseph (10) in the fourth quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City has been one of the league’s best teams as the halfway mark on the season approaches, and it seems like they’ll only get better down the stretch. Coming into the season, the Thunder had a clear ‘Big Three’ on the roster, and it matched up favorably against most in the NBA. Obviously Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is at the top, but Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are rising stars that have taken the team to a new level.

Oklahoma City will hopefully have Holmgren down the stretch when he returns from injury, which is a reason to believe the team will improve. But Jalen Williams has done a picture perfect job stepping up as the No. 2 option with the Thunder, and is showing no signs of slowing down. All he has done since being drafted by the Thunder is improve, and this season is just another example of that.

This season, Williams is averaging 21.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists on 49.4% from the floor and 38.7% from 3-point range. He has taken a big step forward on the defensive end, too, averaging career highs in both steals and blocks at 1.9 and 0.8 respectively.

In Oklahoma City’s most recent outing against Orlando, Williams showed there’s another notch he can take it to offensively. He has been great all season along, but the Thunder’s ceiling is higher when his offensive aggression is on high. In 35 minutes against the Magic, Williams poured in 33 points on 12-of-25 from the floor and 4-of-7 from 3-point range. He finally got to the free throw line a bit, too, going 5-of-7 from the charity stripe.

In Oklahoma City’s last two losses, against Milwaukee and Houston, Williams went 8-of-20 and 7-of-21 from the floor. There’s a direct correlation between his offensive output and the Thunder’s game outcome. Oklahoma City needs him to be ultra aggressive on the offensive end, as he’s truly the Thunder’s second star.

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