Though their backcourt rotation may receive the most praise and attention when it comes to the club's depth, ESPN's Tim Bontemps recently shed light on the frontcourt of the OKC Thunder, specifically calling Jaylin Williams "one of the best, if not the best, backup center in the league."
As if Oklahoma City fans didn't know this already...
During Wednesday's edition of The Hoop Collective podcast, Brian Windhorst, Tim MacMahon, and Bontemps were all heaping praise on the fourth-year big's ability to impact the game in a multitude of ways.
Be it his 30-point showing on 5-for-10 shooting from deep in their February 25 bout against the Pistons or the stat-sheet stuffing 29-point, 12-rebound, three-assist, two-block performance Monday night against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, time and time again, Jay Will has stepped up big whenever coach Mark Daigneault has needed him to.
It's no wonder that he's amid a career-best go-around with the Thunder here in 2025-26, where he's posting 7.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and just shy of a block on 36.5 percent shooting from deep.
It should also come as no surprise that some now believe he could serve as a seamless replacement option for Isaiah Hartenstein at starting center should Sam Presti and company opt to move on this summer.
Jaylin Williams making case to take over as starting center for Thunder
For months now, it has been widely understood that declining the third-year option on Hartenstein's current deal is considered a highly realistic hypothetical approach to the Thunder ducking under the second apron for the 2026-27 campaign.
As things currently stand, the ball club is projected to be roughly $24 million over the second apron next season, which is set at $222,372,000. Shedding I-Hart's contract from the books would clear up $28.5 million alone.
Of course, though the finances may make such a move look like a no-brainer, the fear some have expressed is that OKC doesn't seem to have any reliable replacement in place.
Williams is actively putting such concerns to rest.
The 23-year-old has logged 30 or more minutes in six games so far this season. During that time, he's registered impressive averages of 20.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists, while shooting 53.5 percent from the floor and 48.0 percent from deep.
In 11 stars, he's registered 12.1 points, 7.4 boards, 3.2 assists, and 1.1 blocks on a blistering 42.6 percent shooting from deep while holding opponents to just 43.0 percent shooting from the field.
Add this kind of production to the fact that he's attached to a descending contract that will pay him a total of $15.5 million between 2026-27 and 2027-28 (less than 5.0 percent of the cap per year) and in the event that the Thunder do wind up making the financially-driven decision to move on from Hartenstein, Williams is a highly strategic and cost-effective substitution at the five.