Wednesday, the OKC Thunder squared off against the new-look Miami Heat in what ultimately ended up being an exhilarating, late-game affair.
Despite falling into a 21-point deficit during the first half of action, the Chet Holmgren-less Thunder managed to claw their way back during a third-quarter surge and managed to take the lead for good in the final period, only to pull away with a well-deserved 115-101 win to move to 44-9 on the season.
Following such a valiant effort, it's easy to credit the team's primary stars, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, for their roles in this epic comeback. Considering they were directly responsible for a combined 81 points (including both individual contributions and those generated off assists), the tandem deserves a ton of credit for their respective roles.
However, such a feat was only able to be accomplished with the help of SGA and J-Dub's running mates, though one key contributor, in particular, doesn't appear to be getting the credit he deserves.
Jaylin Williams was integral part of OKC Thunder comeback vs. Heat
Though an individual projected to be negatively impacted by the return of Holmgren, as his usage rate and minutes will certainly drop in games when the stud sophomore is made active, the big man was seen playing a big role for the Thunder with Chet sidelined on the night.
The first player off the bench in coach Mark Daigneault's rotation, Williams seemed to struggle mightily during his first seven minutes of action as he registered just 3 points to go along with 2 turnovers and 2 fouls while constantly letting primary defensive assignment, Bam Adebayo get clean scoring looks.
With this unfortunate stretch, it didn't take long for fans to voice their displeasure with the 22-year-old's efforts.
One user on X went as far as to label Williams "unplayable" on the less glamorous side of the ball.
I’ll say it again, JWill is unplayable defensively
— Sam Humphreys (@SamHumphreys34) February 13, 2025
Another seemingly compared the big's efforts in defending the rim to that of a nonchalant security guard.
Jwill rim protection pic.twitter.com/V7vt4kGuP5
— zac (@shaisprint) February 13, 2025
However, these takes were made rather prematurely.
As the game carried on, Jaylin Williams proved to be integral to Oklahoma City's comeback thanks to his play on both ends of the floor, especially on the defensive end.
During the second half of action, the Thunder big provided serious muscle and displayed impressive lateral quickness while allowing just three made baskets out of 11 attempted against him, equating to a conversion rate of 27.3 percent.
On top of this, with him on the floor, OKC boasted a ridiculous 78.1 defensive rating (first on the team) while seeing their mark plummet to a putrid 118.8 with him off of it (second to only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander).
Finishing with the third-best plus-minus on the night at +18, there should be no question that Williams' play was highly impactful to the Thunder's electrifying second-half bounce back. The court of public opinion can't negate literal facts.
Put some dang respect of Jay Will's name!