The Oklahoma City Thunder are widely regarded as one of the deepest teams in the NBA—if not the gold standard for depth. Even after parting with the likes of Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins, the Thunder boast a roster with multiple high-level players at every position. Unfortunately, Jalen Williams' recent ankle injury exposed the one area in which Oklahoma City lacks depth: Scoring.
The Thunder have no shortage of players who are capable of putting points on the board, but in terms of volume scoring, there are valid questions about who can step up in Williams' place.
Williams is one of the most well-rounded players in the NBA, which makes replacing him a tall task. It's his scoring in specific, however, that Oklahoma City may find most difficult to emulate with just one player slotting into his spot as the new No. 2 option.
Chet Holmgren posts strong and efficient numbers, Ajay Mitchell has flashed star potential, and Jared McCain can get hot and stay hot, but none have proven to be a true second option at this point.
That makes replacing Williams, who has averaged as many as 21.6 points per game during the regular season and 21.4 during the playoffs, a difficult goal to complete. Yes, Oklahoma City should find workarounds over the course of an 82-game schedule, but the postseason could prove to be a different task entirely.
Having an elite scorer in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander certainly helps, but the Thunder will need to figure out if there's a true second option hiding in plain sight if they're hoping to win another title.
Who is OKC's new second option on offense?
Mitchell is the most likely candidate to replace Williams as a dynamic scorer and playmaker who averaged 18.9 points per 36 minutes in 2025-26. With 119 games of NBA experience between the regular season and playoffs, however, the jury is still out on what type of player he'll become.
It's entirely plausible that Mitchell's ascension will lead him to the No. 2 scoring role, but until he proves ready to take on that responsibility, it's speculation and optimism rather than fact.
Chet Holmgren has perhaps the smoothest transition to the No. 2 spot after he averaged 17.1 points per game and 21.3 per 36 minutes in 2025-26. He averaged almost identical shot attempts between his first three seasons at 14.2, 14.0, and 14.0, however, and has a history of lacking assertiveness as a scorer in the playoffs.
Until Holmgren bucks that trend and proves that he's willing to impose himself on games as a scorer, high-level efficiency won't be enough to offset Williams' absence.
Beyond Holmgren and Mitchell, serious question marks exist. Jared McCain is a lethal shooter who can score with volume, but he's inexperienced and prone to lengthy cold spells. Cason Wallace has seemed primed for a breakout for years, but hasn't yet produced an offensive leap. Even rookies Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz could step up, but once again, they're unproven in any kind of volume role.
Oklahoma City will thankfully have time to figure out how to structure the proverbial scoring hierarchy, but not even their elite depth can produce an answer in terms of how to fill the void Williams leaves behind as the second option on offense.
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