2024-25 Thunder player grades: Jalen Williams

USA Today

4 days ago

The calendar has flipped to August, which means we've officially hit the low point of the NBA calendar. 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. Second up is Jalen Williams, who had a career season with first-time All-Star and All-NBA honors:
2024-25 statistics:
Advanced stats:
Significant Percentile Finishes:
Contract:
Thoughts:
Reminding folks he played through a broken wrist throughout the playoffs every other day on social media, Williams has earned the right to run as many victory laps as he wants this summer. The 24-year-old answered any questions and criticisms with a stern hush.
After wondering if Williams is good enough to be the second-best player on a title contender, he shut down any doubters with a career season. Juggling injuries all regular season, it was him who was one of the Thunder's most consistent threats that helped them reach 68 wins.
A player's third season is when you typically see a breakout. If they have a major leap in them, that's when they usually make it. Williams jumped young player with potential to a first-time All-Star and All-NBA member. Gen Z Scottie Pippen comparisons weren't laughed off. He was one of the NBA's best players last season and has plenty more to grow.
Williams enjoyed career highs across the board. He became an efficient 20-plus point scorer. Like his MVP teammate, he made a living driving to the basket. He's not the ballerina Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is, but he used his physique to bulldoze his way to the rim and had a nice touch around the basket.
Williams was also a lethal mid-range shooter. His pull-up jumper was one of his signature shots. When he gets into a rhythm, defenses can't stop him. Career highs in 3-pointers and free-throw attempts also helped him boost his scoring numbers. Usually playing within the flow of the offense to a fault, the 24-year-old was begged to be more aggressive. Easy to see why the Thunder wanted him to do that.
As the season progressed, Williams was slowly given more on-ball responsibilities. The second-unit lineups eventually became his to orchestrate. He helped the Thunder suffer a catastrophic drop-off when Gilgeous-Alexander was off the floor. The special self-creation and decent playmaking were enough to help OKC's offense keep its head above water.
And then there's the defense. That can be its own section, really. The Pippen comparisons aren't just because Williams is an efficient 20-point scorer. He was the most consistent defender on one of the greatest defenses the NBA has ever seen. His special blend of size and skill made him a textbook versatile defender. We saw that throughout the season.
When the Thunder were without a center, Williams stepped up as the rim protector. When matched up with a perimeter scorer, his Pterodactyl wingspan made it nearly impossible to blow past him. Instead, plenty of possessions from the opposition ended in a turnover because he cleanly poked the ball out. His efforts were noticed by being on the All-Defensive Second Team.
This was an all-time season by Williams. He exploded onto the scene as one of the NBA's best players. He was rewarded for it with a handsome contract extension this summer. His combination of efficient scoring and elite one-through-five defense has turned him into one of the most productive wings the league has right now.
Moving Forward:
The scary part is, Williams has plenty of room to grow. The 24-year-old might be on the older side, but that gets negated by experience. He'll enter his fourth season and there are plenty of pathways for him to ascend higher on folks' lists of the top NBA players.
While playing behind Gilgeous-Alexander caps his ceiling, Williams could get into some eye-popping conversations this upcoming season if he plates more of the offense. The 24-year-old is fresh off a playoff run that has completely flipped his narrative. Dropping 40 points in an NBA Finals game on an injured wrist will do that.
Considering he upticked his usage last season and his efficiency numbers remain superb, Williams is primed to handle more of a workload. That could include him being more selfish and taking more shot attempts. He's also figured out how to get to the free-throw line at will. That was a skill he struggled with in the regular season, but finally had a grasp of it in the postseason.
If the drive-heavy scorer can sell contact, Williams can average more free-throw attempts. That's the more direct path to jumping into the special 25-plus point range. Only a handful of players can say they do that in the NBA. The 24-year-old has a shot to join that exclusive club. Consistency is the one variable that you must master. That was something he struggled with at times. His lows were single-digit point efforts where he faded into the background. You can't have too many of those if you want to be considered among the best of the best.
If not, you'll just settle with a perennial All-Star who's good at everything with no real weaknesses. Not bad for a title contender. Zooming out, Williams' addition was the fork on the road for the Thunder. He turned into an All-NBA player as a type of surprising player developmental journey that a title winner needs to build up a roster.
The Thunder are viewed as one of the strongest contenders to be repeat NBA champions in recent history. Williams is the second-biggest reason for that. He had a breakout season that cemented his spot in OKC's hierarchy as the second-best player. It's now about growing from that experience by being more productive. Winning a ring can completely change a player's mentality for the better. Let's see if that's the case with him.
Final Grade: A-plus