Kenrich Williams is more than just a hustle player

The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently 21-23, tied for the final play-in spot in the NBA postseason play-in tournament. Despite the OKC Thunder dealing with a ton of adversity such as not having a center for the last month given the injuries to Chet Holmgren, Aleksej Pokusevski, and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl as well as missing another lottery pick in Ousmane Dieng for the last five weeks. The Thunder have navigated a tough schedule including a brutal road trip to the east coast but have come out on top with three out of four wins on the trip. OKC earned a huge lift from Kenrich Williams.

For the entire length of his five-year NBA career, especially his three-year stint in Oklahoma City, Kenrich Williams has been known exclusively for his hustle plays. Playing good defense, diving on loose balls, fighting over screens, creating offensive fouls on the opposition, walling up at the rim, and doing all the dirty work most players would not want to do.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen Kenrich Williams turn into a legit offensive weapon while still being the hustle player the team needs

While still playing hard-nosed defense, setting the tone and intensity for the youngest team in the NBA, and earning the nickname “Kenny Hustle”, the TCU product has reshaped his game on the offensive end.

Through 36 games this season, Williams is averaging seven points, four rebounds, an assist, and nearly a steal per game while shooting 54 percent from the floor, and 43 percent from distance. The 28-year-old veteran is also top ten in offensive fouls drawn among all NBA players.

However, when you dive deeper into the numbers you realize just how good he has been on the offensive side of the floor.

Kenrich Williams is shooting a career-high 68 percent at the rim, a career-high 58 percent in the long mid-range, and a career-best 51 percent in all of the mid-range which ranks him in the 94th percentile. Beyond the arc, Williams is shooting 57 percent from the corner placing him in the 98th percentile, and overall three-pointers he is shooting 44 percent in the 97th percentile according to cleaning the class which eliminates garbage time and heaves.

Williams has done a lot better at scoring off the dribble, effectively cutting, and helping the OKC offense move along. Even after inking a multi-year extension with the Thunder, Kenny Hustle is still on a valuable contract for OKC.