“He has a lot of personality. I fell in love with his game sense, the IQ he has on the court. I also think he will become an elite shooter because his mechanics are very good,” he said. Herb Sendekhistoric coach of the Santa Clara Broncos. The 2022 Draft heist is in Oklahoma and his name is Jalen Williams. Her length (198 cm, 7.2 wingspan), her instincts and her ability to be in the right place are elite. The Thunder’s plan has always followed a constant ascending line in the NBA. And with the latest addition, in the absence of Chet HolmgrenSam Presti’s project is consolidated.
More and more teams are playing a positionless form of basketball. Positions are more fan designations than anything else these days. The rookie has the length, physique and versatility necessary to open the field and be a guaranteed player that both Shai and Giddey need right now. Helped by very long arms, his height-to-arm length ratio was the widest among the players tested in the Draft. The first thing that stands out about his game is his combination of size and creation from the pot. Jalen is an extremely fluid and decisive player with the ball in his hands, showing resources and management worthy of a point guard.
Data from NBA University
This data from NBA University is very interesting. Rookies aren’t supposed to be that efficient, but it seems like this is just the embryo of what a cathedral player can become for a contender. Jalen Williams is going to be a top class finisher, thanks to his excellent positional size and great ball handling. The forward knows how to start plays, he has that ability to blend in with the game and with what the context requiresand knows how to use his physique absorbing contact in penetrations. Taking into account the volume of the game that he concentrates and the difficulty of his shots, he is starring in a historic course in terms of efficiency.
Jalen is registering the highest TS% (‘true shooting’) in a span of 14 games (minimum 20 points) by a rookie since Shaquille O’Neal (66.6%). He broke that record in the win over Brooklyn, hitting a sensational 67.2% on TS.
Star level since All-Star
Jalen has raised the floor and the ceiling of the Thunder. After losing the first five post-All-Star games, Oklahoma accumulates six wins in the last seven gamescoinciding with the best version of the Colorado forward: 20.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.3 steals, 57.5% in TC, 47.6% in T3, 87.5% in TL, with 67.2% in TS. Mark Daigneault’s team is eighth in the West (34-35), two games away from sixth position (direct access to Play Off).
This NBA Math data accurately represents the impact Jalen is having on Oklahoma’s offense during the month of March. To contextualize, the RPR (Rolling Player Ratings) metric tracks player X and analyzes how he has fared in his last ten games, using multiple variables, providing a reasonable snapshot of the contribution on the floor during any analyzed game, taking quality into account of the opponent. Williams is the leader among all rookies.
In these times in the NBA there is a factor that is essential to achieve success, to win, to be better than the rest: the triple. A task that in Oklahoma they still have pending (15th best team, 36% in T3). That said, Jalen’s presence in Daigneault’s quintets (usually occupies the traditional ‘4’ position) must be capital for the improvement of the Thunder in this facet. and here its evolution from long distance throughout the season:
Jalen Williams’ triple evolution this season, by Flourish
In general, Williams posts 34.9% in T3 on the season, attempting 2.7 three-pointers per game. Solid, but could be improved. Teams are increasingly realizing that if you don’t hit triples and you don’t have fast attacks and you score easy points, you can’t win. In the NBA it is literally impossible. And that’s why, except for Shai, the player who can make the difference and accelerate the project in Oklahoma is Jalen Williams.
Waiting to see what impact Holmgren can have next year, the Thunder cling to the 22-year-old forward, present and future of the franchise. In the latest list of the best rookies of the season published by the NBA, Jalen appears in second placebehind of Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic) and ahead of Bennedict Mathurin (Indiana Pacers).
JDub, key in offensive and defensive dynamism
The great secret of Mark Daigneault. The secret weapon to counter the lack from the perimeter. The Thunder are a very aggressive team in attack, which have many offensive focuses capable of generating with the ball: Shai, Giddey, Jalen, Ousmane Dieng…big players who rebound well on defense and are able to quickly break through the dribblewithout the need to make the ball have to pass through the hands of the “base”. Okahoma is the third fastest attacking team in the leaguebehind of Saint Anthony e Indiana.
The most ‘playmaker’ version of Jalen Williams:
The most ‘playmaker’ version of Jalen Williams
And in the defensive aspect, a fact that you probably did not know or expect. The Thunder have the 4th best defense at half court, according to Cleaning the Glass (95.4). They are better behind than contenders like Nuggets, Celtics, 76ers o Kings. Likewise, being OKC the 9th best defense in the league (allowing 112.6 points per game), the Thunder are the team that best defends in transition (11,2). A very versatile team defensively. Oklahoma stands out more than any other team on testing that intersection of superior positional sizing with perimeter skills.
It has been amply demonstrated that having a high choice is not synonymous with guaranteed success. Sometimes the opposite also happens and those franchises that are not lucky enough to fight for what, a priori, seem like the best player projects available, have the sight, luck or instinct, or all together, to discover talent where it seems hard to find. Throughout history there have been many players to whom the Draft has not done justice. Selected in the twelfth position, Jalen Williams seems to be one more example of a very long list.
