Jalen Williams reveals primary motivation following monster night vs Pelicans

The OKC Thunder have one of the best starting centers the league currently has to offer, and his name is... Jalen Williams?

As weird as that statement may have been to read, believe us, it was equally, if not weirder to write.

Nevertheless, facts are facts, and based on the numbers, advanced metrics, and sheer eye test there seems to be some serious validity to this claim.

Since taking over as Oklahoma City's primary pivot, the ball club has gone undefeated (though, admittedly, there have only been two games) while Williams has found himself absolutely stuffing the stat sheet, posting phenomenal averages of 29.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 3.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks on 61.7 percent shooting from the floor and 60.0 percent shooting from deep.

Wednesday night's performance against the New Orleans Pelicans easily proved to be his best showing yet from this stretch, and, quite possibly, his entire professional career, as he was an absolute two-way menace and a driving force in the Thunder's commanding 106-88 victory.

In 31 minutes played, the 6-foot-5 traditional wing seemingly had his hands all over the place during the contest, finishing the night with a whopping 31 points (led all scorers), 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks while shooting 55.6 percent from the floor and 57.1 percent from deep.

Following the game, J-Dub was read a quote by Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, where he heaped praise upon the 23-year-old's all-around activity against NOLA, saying: "When you have a guy like out there doing that, that checks a lot of boxes."

Williams was then asked to describe his ascension toward becoming a "well-rounded player" like how his headman suggested. In his response, he hilariously shed light on what, specifically, motivates him in every game.

Thunder star Jalen Williams dishes on how he's become so well-rounded

"I just try and play hard," Williams said with a smirk while looking to Aaron Wiggins for affirmation. "We have a lot of good players on our team so I just try and go out there and make an impact... I think it's just trying to be as consistent as possible night in and night out. Playing hard and letting the rest of the game kind of take care of itself."

Before his switch to the center position, Jalen Williams picked up right where he left off in 2023-24 and was already amid a tremendous start to the 2024-25 campaign, making a strong case for himself to finally receive that much-deserved All-Star nod.

However, with his astonishing ability to rise to the occasion when his team needed it most, assuming he stays healthy (which, sadly, has not been the case for OKC), it's starting to look like a virtual guarantee that he'll be participating in the star-studded exhibition out in San Francisco this coming February.

Though Williams' stint at the five will only be temporary, as he's filling in for the recently injured Chet Holmgren and, simultaneously, holding down the fort while guys like Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams await medical clearance, it goes without saying that he's been an absolute revelation and is a crucial reason why the Thunder are the top seed out West at 10-2.