Thursday night, the OKC Thunder lost what could have been a series-clinching Game 6 out in Denver by a final score of 119-107.
While there were many factors that played a role in the club's ultimate demise, perhaps none are more noteworthy than Jalen Williams' putrid scoring efforts.
In what needed to be a doubter-silencing performance, the 24-year-old fell flat during this high-stakes showdown, as he went on to register a mere six points on 3-for-16 shooting from the floor and 0-for-4 shooting from deep.
Following the contest, Williams was asked by reporters during his post-game media session whether there were some things he felt he could have done differently on Thursday as well as during his other low-point showings throughout the series (sadly, there have been a number of them thus far) to have helped him see a better turnout.
Though some fans may have been hoping to hear the forward reveal some specific reason for why he has been so inconsistent in round two (ex. poor shot selection, wrist soreness, etc.), in reality, his response only created more concern about his wonky play.
Thunder star says he's getting the scoring looks that he wants
"I think I got to spots I wanted to get to, and they didn't go in. It's just how basketball works... I think I had a good process about what I was doing. It just hurt us tonight, not making shots," Williams said.
While many may view the All-Star's response as encouraging, with the belief that him getting good looks that simply aren't dropping is more of a result of a cold night than anything else, a counter to such an assessment is that finding a solution to these shooting woes now becomes even more complicated.
Of his team-leading 16 attempts on the night, seven were deemed to be open or wide open, per the NBA's findings.
What's concerning is the fact that a ton of his scoring opportunities have come on such looks over his last three outings, as 46.5 percent of his attempts have fallen in the open-to-wide open range since Game 4. During this stretch, he's shot an absolutely abysmal 23.3 percent from the floor and 14.3 percent from deep.
Now, if this were merely a one-off streak of lackluster shooting performances, perhaps no one would bat an eye. However, after last year's ill-fated postseason run, question marks have already existed over whether Jalen Williams can be trusted as the second option alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on this title-hungry Thunder squad.
Even amid a career-best campaign, during the months leading into the 2025 playoffs, J-Dub's ability to "run the show" on the offensive end was still an up-in-the-air debate.
Now, heading into a do-or-die Game 7, many questions still remain, while the criticisms of Jalen Williams seem to be getting louder.
Hopefully, these desired looks will begin to fall by Sunday afternoon. Otherwise, there could be some serious conversations had this offseason concerning the state of Oklahoma City's number two spot in the pecking order moving forward.