OKC Thunder needs more from Jalen Williams to oust Nuggets from NBA Playoffs in Game 7

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20-05-2025

DENVER — Jalen Williams, a towel draped atop his head, sat alone on the Thunder's bench as his teammates trudged across the court. Williams stared up at the scoreboard: Nuggets 119, Thunder 107.
Who knows how long Williams might've sat there had Alex Caruso not helped him up. Upon standing, Williams pulled the towel tighter.
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For Williams, the towel is so often a victory prop. Thursday, it veiled defeat.
Williams scored six points in the Thunder's Game 6 loss. He shot 3-of-16 from the floor. He missed all four of his 3-point attempts.
'I think I had a good process with what I was doing,' Williams said. 'I just hurt us tonight (by) not making shots.'
Whether Williams could emerge as a true No. 2 option was a lingering question heading into these playoffs. The answer has depended on the game. And that's the problem.
For the Thunder to win Game 7 on Sunday, for it to go all the way, it needs more consistent play out of its second All-Star. Williams' bad games — bad shooting games, at least — have outnumbered his good ones in this West semifinal series.
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CARLSON: OKC Thunder falls into cauldron of a Game 7 after failing to eliminate Denver Nuggets
DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 15: Jalen Williams #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives to the basket against Peyton Watson #8 of the Denver Nuggets during the fourth quarter in Game Six of the Western Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena on May 15, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.
He was tremendous in the Thunder's Game 3 overtime loss, scoring 32 points on 52% shooting. And he was good in the Thunder's Game 2 rout. In the other four games, however, he has shot 15-of-63 (24%).
For the series, he's 7-of-33 (21%) from 3-point range. He's 9-of-22 (41%) in the restricted area.
At times, he's looked like a just-turned 24-year-old in his third NBA season and fourth-ever playoff series. Like a guy who's dealing with a nagging wrist injury that may or not be affecting his play. This is how it's supposed to go, by the way. Failure is often a prerequisite to playoff success. No young star is immune to playoff growing pains.
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That's the conundrum with J-Dub and the Thunder. In the regular season, he was so good, this team was so good, that we started to move the goalposts on them. They've hit all the historical benchmarks of being a championship team — and they might very well snatch the Larry 'O in a few weeks time. But history also tells us they're too young, too inexperienced to win a championship. No matter its fate, the Thunder will be an outlier one way or another.
Williams has become a symbol of that seesaw. It's an oversimplification to say the Thunder will go as far as he goes … but the Thunder might go as far as he goes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can't do it all, and Chet Holmgren — who might be the Thunder's second-best player — isn't ready to be its second-best option offensively.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points Thursday on 69% shooting. He was only slowed by foul trouble. Williams, on this night as much as any, had an opportunity to not just shine alongside SGA, but in the absence of him.
It didn't happen.
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'It's life, it's basketball,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'Tonight wasn't his night, clearly. The best part about it all is he has an opportunity to change all that. If he has a big game next game, nobody remembers, nobody cares.'
5 TAKEAWAYS: OKC Thunder fails to close out Denver Nuggets, sending series to Game 7
May 15, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) is fouled by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) in the second quarter during game six of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
While the lasting image from Game 6 might be a dejected J-Dub, the part about Caruso helping him up is nothing new, Williams said.
'AC always gets me off the bench, win or loss,' Williams said. '... He's just a good vet. He's somebody there to pick you up when you're down. Obviously I didn't play the way I wanted to play, so I was trying to process the game and my emotions.'
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Caruso didn't give Williams time to stew.
'I didn't know, honestly, at the time that the numbers (and) shooting splits were that bad for him during the game,' Caruso told The Oklahoman. 'I thought he made some pretty good plays for us throughout the game, even without the shots going in.'
To that point, Williams had a game-high 10 assists. His seven rebounds were second on the team. His defense on Aaron Gordon — who might be hobbled by a hamstring injury — has been solid all series.
Williams' shot has fluctuated, 'but let's talk about what is consistent,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said after the game. 'His defense, his floor game. He had a bunch of assists tonight. Played really hard and competitive as he always does. That's the floor of his game.'
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Both Daigneault and Williams liked the quality of Williams' shots. They just didn't drop. A blown dunk was the icing on the clanks.
'You just kind of laugh that one off at that point,' Daigneault said.
Laugh, or stare blankly from the bench.
'I'm gonna stand there with my hand out waiting for him until he's ready to go, because that's what we do,' Caruso said. 'We're teammates, and we're gonna have to go win one on Sunday.'
REPORT CARD: Thunder vs Nuggets grades: Julian Strawther, foul trouble spell trouble for OKC in Game 6
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at [e-mail] . Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com .
Game 7: Thunder vs. Nuggets
TIPOFF: 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Paycom Center (ABC)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Jalen Williams needs big Game 7 for Thunder vs Nuggets in NBA Playoffs