Jalen Williams claps back at 'loser mentality' after loss to Mavericks

Since star big Chet Holmgren sustained a right iliac wing fracture and joined fellow injured centers Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams on the sidelines, the OKC Thunder have been forced to roll with an egregiously small primary lineup that finds 6-foot-5 Jalen Williams slotting in at the five.

For the most part, this experiment has surprisingly proven to be quite successful, as Oklahoma City kicked off this new small-ball era with three straight wins, all of which were against opponents who registered 49+ wins last season.

Of course, as all good things must do, these winning ways came to a bitter end during Sunday's bout against a familiar foe in the Dallas Mavericks.

Though it ultimately proved to be an exciting down-to-the-wire affair, as the Thunder stormed back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth and even cut it to just two as late as the final five seconds of regulation, ultimately, one of the biggest takeaways from their 121-119 demise was how the main reason why they lost last year's semifinals series was arguably the main reason why they lost here.

Of course, we're referring to their size discrepancy.

From the rebound battle (Dallas grabbed 53 boards compared to OKC's 29) to their interior presence on offense, as it was during the 2024 NBA Playoffs, Sunday it was painfully obvious how much of an advantage the Mavericks had in the big man department.

That said, despite their vertical struggles, this Thunder team is not looking at their injury-riddled frontcourt as being a valid excuse for losing, and J-Dub proved this to a tee during his post-game press conference after falling to Dallas, where he clapped back at the notion that they may just be trying to stay afloat until guys like Hartenstein and Williams make their return to the court.

Jalen Williams stresses big-less Thunder are not playing role of 'victims'

"That's kind of a loser mentality. We're not trying to survive... we're going out there to win every game... Obviously we want our bigs back and to be healthy but we're not victims," Williams said.

Outside of words, Jalen Williams, in particular, has been showing his drive to put his best foot forward and play with 100 percent energy all throughout this big-less stretch, as he's been the one whose been called upon to up his play the most what with coach Mark Daigneault looking to him, a natural wing, to serve as the club's focal point pivot.

In turn, what has transpired with such a rotational shakeup is the Thunder sporting a 3-1 record, while the budding star has posted sensational all-around averages of 25.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks on 56.7 percent shooting from the floor and 45.0 percent shooting from deep.

Against the Mavericks, Williams found himself starting off rather slow, posting just 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist on just 42.9 percent shooting during the first half of action before exploding onto the scene over the final two quarters, finishing off the night with 27 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block on 64.7 percent shooting and 50.0 percent shooting from deep.

These efforts stand as proof that not only is the 23-year-old abiding by the never-quite rhetoric he highlighted during Sunday's post-game presser but, considering the team as a whole clawed their way back from a 14-point deficit, so, too, do the Thunder.