The Oklahoma City Thunder selected their fourth player of the 2022 NBA Draft at pick 34, drafting another J. Williams this time Jaylin Williams after grabbing Jalen Williams at 12. The OKC Thunder wrapped up their draft class with the Arkansas big man as he joins Chet Holmgren, Ousmane Dieng, and Jalen Williams as new prospects on the OKC roster.
Many people were concerned a month ago when looking at the Oklahoma City Thunder holding four NBA Draft picks in the 2022 NBA Draft, freaking out over how the team would manufacture enough roster spots this offseason for the upcoming rookies. I told you then to stay calm, it is not hard to find openings on one of the worst teams in basketball.
Just over a week out from the NBA Draft, Sam Presti traded the 30th pick to Denver to take on JaMychal Green’s contract and net back a 2027 first-round pick in return. That left the OKC Thunder will just three selections on draft night, that was of course before Sam Presti made another trade.
The Oklahoma City Thunder select Jaylin Williams with the 34th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft to wrap up their draft class, bringing in four new prospects
After The Oklahoma City Thunder bought back into the NBA Lottery, many expected that they could move on from the 34th selection entirely, or at least move back into the “two-way” range. That was not the case, Sam Presti doubled down and kept the 34th pick and grabbed Arkansas big man Jaylin Williams.
The Arkansas big man does all the dirty work with his high motor, fantastic hustle, and willingness to put his body on the line as he led the NCAA in charges a year ago. While he only averaged 11 points per game, Williams was a fantastic post playmaker for Arkansas allowing the Razorbacks to play through him at the elbow something OKC did a lot with Al Horford.
The big knock on Jaylin Williams is the fact he shot just 23 percent from distance and does not project to be a very switchable defender. Without known switchability, it is more of a “wait and see” approach with the nearly 20-year-old big man in the modern NBA as teams hunt switches via the pick-and-roll in the half-court set.