As Jalen Williams returned to the court from his offseason wrist injury, he struggled to find a rhythm. With the Oklahoma City Thunder eyeing another championship run, his inability to consistently create his own shot or attack the rim stood out early. On the other end of the court, his excellent defense from last season was missing.
Recently, J-Dub has returned to his former All-Star self. He’s once again creating shots, improving his scoring, and his All-Defense-caliber impact is back.
Shot Creation and Scoring
When he first came back, Williams attempted to immediately jump back into his second-option role for the Thunder — going for his tough running floaters, step-back midranges, and highly-contested finishes. None of it was working.
In his first 16 games, he averaged 16.9 points and ranked among the league’s worst in efficiency with a 52.7% true-shooting percentage.
Though it took some time, Williams is back to hitting those tough inside-the-arc shots. He’s averaged 20 points per game with a 60.1% true shooting percentage over his past six games, from Jan. 4 to Jan. 13.
(Graphic via databallr.com)
Even against the elite defenses OKC recently faced, Williams has been able to get rim pressure, hit his tough mid-range jumpers, and be a reliable second option for the Thunder.
Exceptional Defense Continues to Be His Calling Card
As impressive as his offense has been recently, J-Dub’s defensive resurrection has been equally important.
Early on, Williams’ defensive physicality was a shell of itself, leaving him prone to getting blown by and unable to handle his typical assignments. Now in the swing of things, he is back to being a jack-of-all-trades defender.
His superb wingspan, great instincts, and outstanding timing make him stand out, even on a historic OKC defense.
https://twitter.com/okcthunder/status/2011269943141204434
Although he won’t qualify for an All-Defense team due to games played, this stretch shows he would once again be a shoo-in.
How Much Has This Affected the Thunder?
As of Jan. 15, the Thunder are 10-6 in their last 16 games. They hit a roadblock after their losses to the San Antonio Spurs in late December. During this cold streak, both sides of the ball were struggling significantly; an overbearing offensive load was on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the defense couldn’t hold things together in Isaiah Hartenstein‘s injury absence.
Since Williams’ resurgence, the Thunder have started to excel offensively and improve defensively. Because of this, they have won four straight games, including a 21-point win over the Spurs and a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies without SGA.
Once again, Jalen Williams is playing like an All-Star and has helped propel OKC back into tier-1 title contenders.
Leave a comment