One Name, Two Fates: OKC Thunder Edition

While Jalen and Jaylin Williams phonetically share the same name, each has taken a unique route to earn a spot on OKC’s roster.

For those familiar with Wes Moore’s “The Other Wes Moore,” Jalen and Jaylin Williams’ joining the Thunder on the same day may have sparked some reminiscence.

The Thunder’s 2022 rookies don’t share the same roots, as do the two boys described in Moore’s novel, but have since become a synonymous pair in the eyes of the national media.

Oklahoma City selected Santa Clara’s Jalen Williams with the 13th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft; then selected Arkansas’ Jaylin WIlliams 21 picks later. Thunder fans erupted in excitement on Twitter knowing that, if nothing else, OKC could get a few good laughs out of employing two players with the same name.

NBA fans on social media made plenty of jokes, one of the more popular being an iconic photo of two characters pointing at each other, each dressed as Spiderman. The photo was so popular that the new duo recreated the meme on the Thunder’s media day.

OKC THUNDER on Twitter: "now y'all can use the legit photo 😅😂 https://t.co/Ggw6AIy6hJ" / Twitter

From People Magazine to Bleacher Report, Jalen and Jaylin were garnering the post-draft attention of media members across the country. Many of these mentions are in humor, but when looking past the comedy of it all, both Williams’ could play key roles for Oklahoma City this season.

Santa Clara alum Jalen Williams was the third player selected by the Thunder in this year’s draft, but has appeared to carve out a larger role in OKC’s rotation than his first year counterparts. While Williams’ impressive summer league performance earned the Gilbert, Arizona, native a spot in the lineup, Chet Holmgren’s injury has further cleared a runway for Williams to spend more minutes on the floor.

The 6-foot-6 wing averaged 18 points per game for the Broncos in the West Coast Conference last season, taking on the likes of Chet Holmgren and Gonzaga.

In a February game against the Zags, Williams was met by Holmgren on the perimeter. The Santa Clara star hesitated slightly to his left, then quickly crossed back to his right hand and bolted to the rim, leaving his future teammate center in the dust.

Unlike Holmgren, Williams was lightly recruited in high school; picking up only three offers. The Perry High School product was a three-star recruit who was ranked outside of the top 200 players in his high school class.

His teammate Jaylin Williams, on the other hand, was a four-star recruit who played his college ball in the SEC. Hailing from Fort Smith, Arkansas, the 6-foot-10 forward saw more attention on the recruiting trail, garnering a spot in the top 90 prospects of the 2020 high school class.

While in college, Williams was an all-conference player and an all-region honoree in the NCAA tournament. The Razorback standout averaged a near double-double with 10.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game during his final season at Arkansas.

With Holmgren being sidelined for the 2022-23 season, a much larger role has opened for Williams. Holmgren was set to alleviate the Thunder’s struggles defending and rebounding in the paint; the Arkansas alum will now bear more of that responsibility.

In an interview, Jalen Williams revealed that his nickname is J-Dub, while Jaylin Williams goes by J-Will. J-Dub, the Santa Clara alum, will wear number eight this season and J-Will, the Arkansas product, will sport number six.

The selection of Jalen and Jaylin Williams has added a humorous, lighthearted storyline to follow over the summer, but when the season begins, both Thunder rookies will begin to write their own story.

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