The Oklahoma City Thunder have built arguably the league's deepest team during the course of its rebuild. Through 68 games this season, 13 players average more than 10 minutes per night.
This won't be the case come playoff time, however, for, as we witnessed last season against the Mavericks, coach Mark Daigneault cut down his rotation to nine players with more than 10 minutes per game.
During this series, it was Jaylin Williams who snagged the backup big man role behind Chet Holmgren, appearing in six games and averaging 5.0 points and 4.2 rebounds along the way.
His primary competition, Kenrich Williams, took the court in three games and saw roughly 5.0 minutes per night.
Assuming Isaiah Hartenstein gets the starting nod alongside Holmgren in a playoff series, a guard-heavy bench unit will need a big man to round it out.
Barring injury, it's likely a repeat battle between Kenny Hustle and Jay-Will will be evaluated as the regular season closes. Both clearly have had impactful seasons, but only one can claim the throne to playoff minutes.
The case for Jaylin Williams serving as main Thunder backup big:
While many know him for his post-game interview antics, Williams boasts a versatile skillset that compliments many of his teammates on the court. He exhibits above-average ball skills and passing vision relative to his 6-foot-8, 250-pound frame. While he's a bit of a streaky shooter, he's good enough to make opposing bigs pay if they choose to leave him open.
Due to rest and injuries, Williams was given a chance to start against the Portland Trail Blazers back on March 7. The Arkansas native logged his first career triple double of 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists to go along with 3 steals, 2 blocks and a game-high +35 plus-minus in the 18 point win.
He's the ultimate connector and glue guy off the bench, but when called upon he can step into a larger offensive role.
Williams' offensive efficiency on the season looks mediocre, but post All-Star break he's bumped his net rating, AST/TO ratio, EFG% and TS% up to a much improved level. Along with a newfound offensive version of himself, his ability to contests shots far exceeds Kenrich's, as Williams ranks second on the team in shots contested per 36 minutes.
If this is his new normal, it'd be hard to not give the third-year big a permanent spot in the rotation.
The case for Kenrich Williams serving as main Thunder backup big:
Since his arrival in Oklahoma City back in 2020-21, the team has embodied hustle, and Kenny Hustle has been a director contributor to this.
This season, the team ranks first in total deflections, loose balls recovered, charges drawn and threes contested.
The seventh-year veteran has proven worth not only as a hustle player, but as a viable offensive option for the team. He's averaging 5.6 points on 48/36.7/80.8 shooting splits, along with 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
If the team wanted to go small with the bench unit, Williams can smoothly operate as an undersized five using his speed and shooting.
The TCU product got the starting nod on March 16 in a road game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Though he failed to score, but logged 6 rebounds and 5 assists in his 19 minutes of action. His impact in the game goes beyond scoring, but being a threat from range is Williams' main argument for succeeding as the backup big.
If his shot isn't falling, Williams may lose his viability as a playoff rotation member.
Who gets the nod?
Based on evidence from last year along with team-fit and individual success, it's likely that Jaylin Williams locks up the backup big man spot heading into the postseason.
While not an exact match, his screen-setting and passing vision allows him to replicate the playstyle of the presumable starter, Hartenstein. This helps him to seamlessly excel with either unit as a true big to make up for the rest of the bench's lack of size.
Kenrich Williams may still find a way to log spot minutes, but his time as a rotation staple will likely be cut.