Playing through the fourth year of his career, OKC Thunder forward Jalen Williams has already achieved feats in the NBA that most players can only dream of.
He has won a title, earned an All-Star nod, and been recognized on the All-Rookie, All-Defensive, and All-NBA teams.
He is continually proving that the Thunder found a needle in a haystack in what is turning out to be a dismal draft class.
Outside of the other Thunder homerun pick, Chet Holmgren, the class of 2022 is proving to be disappointing at best.
Number one overall pick Paolo Banchero has had his moments, but he has yet to lead the Magic past the first round of the playoffs, and his numbers have severely regressed so far this season.
Third and fourth over picks Jabari Smith and Keegan Murray have turned into dependable spot-up shooters with not much else to their game, and, outside of Jalen Duren and Benedict Mathurin, most of the names picked in the first round have done absolutely nothing in their careers to this point.
The Thunder themselves got a sour taste of the rest of the group when they nabbed Ousmane Dieng on a draft-and-trade from the Knicks. Dieng averaged 4.9 points in his best year with OKC before a flurry of trades landed him on the Bucks.
J-Dub wasn't even projected to be picked so high. Critics humorously called the Thunder's selection a reach, saying that the wing was "a bit overvalued" at 12.
Jalen Williams is proving the Thunder got the last laugh
While the choice was not highly praised, it's been Williams and company who have gotten the last laugh. He has been so good, in fact, that Bleacher Report gave him a top-15 nod in their rankings of the NBA's top 100 players heading into the 2025-2026 season.
Citing his combination of size, shooting, versatility, and defensive prowess, the list had him ranked above perennial All-Stars like Devin Booker, Kawhi Leonard, and Jaylen Brown.
Banchero, meanwhile, came in at number 19.
Had OKC gone a different direction with their third pick-up of the 2022 draft, the future of their franchise might look much dimmer.
At just 24 years old, Williams' best years are still ahead of him, and fans are salivating at the idea of watching him, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Chet Holmgren terrorize defenses in their prime.
With one ring down and two of the three still young enough to be on their parents' health insurance, it's safe to say the best is yet to come.