The Oklahoma City Thunder are off to a surprising start, one that has gained the team a ton of National Attention for the breakout superstardom of max contract point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Aleksej Pokusevski becoming a pivotal positive impact piece to Mark Daigneault’s rotation. Throughout the excitement of the first 15 games, Jaylin Williams has been assigned to the NBA G-League for a large chunk of it.
Williams was the final pick for the franchise in the 2022 NBA Draft, rounding out another four-player draft, and was the second Jalen/Jaylin Williams to be selected by the Thunder in June. The Arkansas big man has shown flashes of his potential in the NBA G-League, could he get an NBA shot soon?
The Oklahoma City Thunder are seeing productive play from 34th overall pick, Jaylin Williams, with the G-League Blue
The OKC Thunder have yet another fun rookie class on hand, with Chet Holmgren sidelined for the season the anticipation to see his star power on full display in the NBA is exciting for Thunder fans, Jalen Williams is already making a positive impact on the NBA floor, and Ousmane Dieng like Jaylin Williams is dominating the NBA G-League. With three lottery picks and a high second-round pick, it is easy to see why Bricktown is buzzing over these rookies.
Jaylin Williams played for two years at the University of Arkansas but is still just 20 years old which he turned just a week after the 2022 NBA Draft. Williams led the country in charges drawn on the defensive end, and that skill has translated to the NBA and G-League level so far in his career.
J-Will has shown his prolific passing ability in the G-League, even racking up eight assists in this afternoon’s game against the South Bay Lakers.
.@Jay_MWilliams_ to @LindyWatersIII ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/ixMAxwmK9E
— OKC BLUE (@okcblue) November 23, 2022
Down in the NBA G-League, Jaylin Williams is averaging 13 points, nearly nine rebounds, five assists, and a steal per game while shooting 62 percent from the floor, and 42 percent from three-point land.
OKC Blue head coach Kameron Woods has told me the organization is looking for Williams to play with more “force” offensively, and he has done just that.
The Fort Smith, Arkansas native has mustered up a pair of and-ones while getting more aggressive in trying to score and facilitate the offense at the G-League level.
Between his passing and improved scoring, still one of the most impressive aspects of his game is playing bigger than he is on the defensive end walling up and the rim, and his communication skills on that end of the floor.
With Mike Muscala sidelined for a couple of weeks, and Aleksej Pokusevski dealing with a nagging ankle injury, could we see more NBA minutes for the 2022 second-round pick?
Today was another good showing as Jaylin Williams finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists against the South Bay Lakers.