We expected Chet Holmgren – she’s ugly that one – but it’s finally Jalen Williams who impresses in the youth of the Thunder. The 21-year-old rookie fullback delights OKC fans, and may already be part of the franchise’s long-term project. Take a look at his excellent outing against Spurs.
If Sam Presti’s pick accumulation project has been strongly and at length criticized, it is clear that the GM’s talent is still intact when it comes to finding future nuggets in the Great League. And while long-awaited No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren won’t make his debut until 2023-24, the Thunder can count on their other rookies to maintain the hype and a certain level of competition. Tonight, it was Jalen Williams who stuck to it. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ruled out with hip problems, Mark Daigneault decided to trust his rookie to start the match alongside Josh Giddey and Luguentz Dort. Results ? A career-high for the young fullback: 27 points and 6 rebounds, at 11/15 shooting please.
Jalen Williams had a career night tonight against the Spurs
27 points
6 rebounds
2 assistsHighlights ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/poIDGs3EbA
— Andrew Bad (@AndrewKBad) December 1, 2022
Scoring, efficiency, foul provocation, defensive intensity… it was all there. And this match is a reflection of the qualities of Jalen at the start of the season. As comfortable as a ball carrier as in the game off ball, Jalen Williams correctly reads stocks, and uses them to timer and direct his cuts. Able to score at all levels, the handle of the rookie is more than correct, both in dribbling and finishing, and the shoot is promising (despite an old 30% 3-points for the moment). The cold blood is there too, apparently: it was Jalen who put the lid on the match with his last floater, to allow the Thunder to win 119 to 111 after a comeback of 20 points. Not bad for a rookie drafted out of the top 10, right?
After just 22 regular season games, Jalen Williams appears to have passed Tre Mann in the Thunder rotation and is enjoying the 4th most playtime in the franchise with almost 25 minutes per game. The top three? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Luguentz Dort. One can easily imagine that when SGA returns, Williams will return to the bench. It remains to be seen how coach Daigneault will adapt the rotation to the constant progression of his rookie.