The 2022-23 Oklahoma City Thunder’s season ended with the play-in tournament loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, which means it’s time for reflection.
Being one of the biggest overachievers in the league, the Thunder finished with a 40-42 record after being predicted by many to have high lottery odds.
Now that the season is in the books, let’s go back and evaluate all 19 players who suited up for the Thunder this past season. Grades will be handed out to every player in terms of what their expectations were heading into the season and how they lived up to them.
The third player in this installment is Jalen Williams, who was the runner-up for Rookie of the Year and was arguably OKC’s second-best player down the stretch.
(Editor’s note: We are starting individual grades for all players from the 2022-23 Oklahoma City Thunder. To access other reviews as part of this ongoing series, click here.)
2022-23 statisics:
- 14.1 points
- 4.5 rebounds
- 3.3 assists
- 52.1% shooting
- 35.6% 3-point shooting
- 81.2% free-throw shooting
- 1.4 steals
Advanced stats:
- True-shooting percentage: 60.1%
- Usage rate: 18.4%
- Win shares: 5.6
- VORP: 1.3
Significant Percentile Finishes:
- Isolation scorer: 80.7 percentile
- Transition scorer: 62.2 percentile
- P&R ball-handler: 60.6 percentile
- P&R roll man: 74.2 percentile
- Handoff: 84.3 percentile
- Cut: 83.7 percentile
- Putbacks: 80 percentile
Contract:
- 2023-24: $4.6 million
- 2024-25: $4.8 million (team option)
- 2025-26: $6.6 million (team option)
Thoughts:
When Chet Holmgren went down with a season-ending injury, one of the few bright spots of the situation was it would give others on the roster unexpected opportunities. Without Holmgren, who would’ve likely been a top-three player on the roster in terms of usage rate and shot attempts, a vacuum needed to be filled. It’s fair to say Williams was one of the beneficiaries.
After starting the season off the bench, Williams slowly played his way into the starting lineup and finished his rookie campaign as arguably the second-best player on the overachieving Thunder.
By the end of the season, Williams made a strong push for Rookie of the Year and finished No. 2 in voting. His superb-efficient scoring game headlined his season.
The 6-foot-6 wing feasted inside of the paint, where 37.7% of his shots occurred 0-3 feet from the basket. His 70.1% shooting at the rim put him in the 80th percentile among wings, per Cleaning The Glass.
The 3-point shot also gradually improved throughout the season — after shooting 32.4% from 3 on 2.7 attempts before the All-Star break, those numbers jumped to 42.9% from 3 on 2.9 attempts post-All-Star break.
The only real criticism of Williams’ game is his passive nature. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault mentioned this several times throughout the season that they are willing to exchange efficiency for volume with Williams, and that rarely was the case during his rookie season.
There could be multiple reasons this was a difficult adjustment to make for Williams. Perhaps he didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes as a rookie. Maybe that’s how he was taught to play. Maybe it’s his natural instinct.
Regardless, a more selfish Williams is better for the Thunder. To his credit, he showed he could do this during the play-in tournament, during which he averaged 12 shots a game.
The future is about harnessing that mindset over an entire season. I think that will happen as Williams matures from a rookie to a seasoned vet.
But back to this season.
Considering the type of rookie season he had, it’s hard for fans not to be excited about Williams’ future. There’s a very high chance that the Thunder drafted a high-end starter — at the absolute worst — with the 12th pick and if that’s the case, they nailed the draft selection.
Moving Forward:
Williams was awesome in his rookie season. The Thunder did an excellent job identifying him in the draft process as his stock rose.
With the addition of Williams, the Thunder have a real shot at adding arguably a top-three player to their new core without using a high lottery pick.
Just like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams is an extremely efficient scorer who dominates inside of the paint on and off the ball. If he can continue to develop his ball-handling skills, he can turn into a legit All-Star type player.
The 3-point shot took a while to get going, but everything suggests it could be a legit weapon for Williams. If that happens, that’ll increase his ceiling exponentially.
The efficient scoring takes the cake, but don’t let that fool you into thinking he also isn’t an underrated rebounder and playmaker for a wing his size. Williams put up respectable numbers in those areas of his game and that should improve as he naturally progresses as a player.
The defense was also sneakily underrated. His steal percentage (2.1%) was second-best on the team and his build (6-foot-6, 195 pounds) made it harder for opposing players to push off of him as they usually do against the traditional skinny rookie.
What makes Williams’ progress even more exciting is that he’s a natural fit regardless of the roster or his role. If Holmgren or anybody else makes a significant leap in the future and surpasses Williams on the totem pole, I have no concern that it’ll cause issues down the road.
Williams’ skills help him seamlessly fit into any roster and play any role due to how team-friendly of a player he is. He’s a well-rounded player who doesn’t need a ton of real estate to contribute — and if he does get a high volume of possessions, he’s capable of stepping up. Whether he’s an off-ball cutter or asked to create his own shot at the top of the key, I’m confident in Williams’ ability to make the most of his situation.
