2024-25 Thunder player grades: Jaylin Williams

USA Today

3 hours ago

The calendar has flipped to August, which means we've officially hit the low point of the NBA cycle. The next couple of months are the driest part of the year. Everybody has headed to vacation and awaits training camp to kick off the 2025-26 season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to enjoy their NBA championship. They had a historic 68-14 regular-season campaign that eventually led to the franchise's first title with a 2025 NBA Finals Game 7 win. They'll enter next season as a favorite to be a rare repeat winner.
To reflect on their title run, Thunder Wire will conduct 2024-25 season grades for all 19 players who suited up for the squad at one point during the year. Tenth up is Jaylin Williams, who helped the Thunder win a championship with rich depth:
2024-25 statistics:
Advanced stats:
Significant Percentile Finishes:
Contract:
Thoughts:
Turning into Mr. Triple-Double when given the chance, Williams's lack of playing time had more to do with the Thunder's rich depth than his talent. A handsome contract extension signed this offseason shows the NBA champion is still a believer in his impact.
Penciling out the rotation, it was difficult to imagine how Williams would get consistent minutes. After all, he might've been overqualified for the job, but he was the third-string center behind Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. And then the Thunder were constantly bitten by the injury bug all season. That opened a lane of minutes that the 23-year-old soaked up.
Despite averaging just 17 minutes, Williams hit career highs across the board. He was another Thunder role player who had his best season yet. Juggling injuries, he helped the Thunder stay afloat at the center position. He was a solid backup big who could run the offense with DHO actions and timely backdoor passes.
Off the ball, Williams was another catch-and-shoot threat. Each time he sank an outside bucket, he'd yell his patented boom celebration like the Costco kids. He's turned into a sharpshooter from the outside as a near 40% shooter on decent volume.
The defense might struggle at times, but the Thunder can afford to mask Williams. They built out one of the greatest defenses ever and have several high-quality defenders to make up for the 23-year-old's struggles. Plus, the drawn charges might not be what they used to be, but he can still pull that card out occasionally to force turnovers.
After a decent regular season, Williams' importance increased in the playoffs. He provided the Thunder another look. He was a matchup weapon that helped them edge out the Denver Nuggets in their high-intensity seven-game playoff series. He was another body to throw at Nikola Jokic, who was abnormally inefficient for most of the series.
There's also the locker room intangibles. Fans don't truly see the dynamics, but the Thunder have gone out of their way multiple times to emphasize how important Williams' personality was to gelling their group together. Most players at his spot could've had an ego about his role demotion. After all, he was a serviceable bench player his first two seasons who showed signs of growth.
Instead, Williams remained a huge positive influence in the locker room. To the point that most Thunder players point to him as the most upbeat guy on the team. The traditional postgame interviews would go viral on social media solely off his reactions. That type of buy from one of your better players helped the rest of the roster stay on the same page to eventually win a championship.
Moving Forward:
Just repeat the same stuff. When you win an NBA championship, you need several role players to have career seasons. Williams was one of those guys. He was an end-of-bench guy who'd have a larger role in most other places. What should excite the Thunder is that he's still young enough to have more room to grow. They're banking on that.
The Thunder committed to Williams for the long-term future this offseason. He was signed to a contract extension. It was a little bit of a surprise, honestly. It might also show that they think he could return as the backup center if Hartenstein leaves after next season.
But that's a while away. For this upcoming season, Williams should build off of what he did. Expect a similar role as the third-string center who gets rotation minutes. The playmaking is too valuable not to have on the floor at all times. He can help the Thunder's bench lineup remain steady and also be an addition to what the starters do by being a kick-out option.
The outside shot has helped Williams carve out an NBA career. If he can produce the same numbers, he'll be somebody you can rely on. That's been his best singular development. It's turned him into an actualized role player who could have a long career. If you're going to be a role player, you have to show reliability to knock down outside shots. He's done that.
Maybe Williams can improve on his efficiency. He's pretty below average as a center in that area when looking at his shooting numbers. But that's easily explainable when you look at his shot diet. He takes mostly outside shots, so that naturally reflects on his main shooting splits. He's more of a forward tweener anyway than a traditional backup center.
When you rebuild, you need to win on the margins. Williams' development perfectly fits that theory. The 2022 second-round pick has become one of the Thunder's best developmental stories. His role over the years has always changed. From starter to backup center to third-string center. Regardless of what OKC needed out of him, he's always delivered. That's such a roster luxury to have.
Final Grade: B-plus