Kenny Hustle is a nickname earned, not given. Kenrich Williams has gained the respect of his teammates and the OKC Thunder organization as a whole throughout his five-year tenure with the club.
His impact stretches from boasting a high-IQ level of play on the court to being a steady locker-room presence off of it.
Despite this, however, Williams has found himself listed in trade rumors throughout the first few months of the 2024-25 NBA season.
While improvement should always be sought after, it's time to realize that trading the beloved 30-year-old may not be the right approach to doing so, and there are several reasons why.
Veteran leadership
The culmination of the Thunder's rebuild saw extreme roster turnover throughout the years. One would think that this amount of change would result in a lack of identity, but that's not the case.
Now, during this new era, this young Thunder squad has been known to be tough, gritty, and hard-working, and It's fair to say that Kenrich Williams has played a key role in this, teaching and spreading his tough mentality to younger teammates.
A memorable instance of his teachings was how he navigated the course of the 2022-23 season.
To this point, Williams had become notable for his knack for drawing charges. Then-rookie teammate Jaylin Williams adapted this skill, and both were atop of the NBA's standings in drawn charges.
The two made it a competition among one another, and even when Kenrich was sidelined due to injury, Jaylin said, "He’s still gonna be pushing me."
This isn't the only hustle that Williams has taught these young bucks though. Recently, guard Cason Wallace was involved in a late-game brush-up with Rockets center Alperen Sengun. Williams was the first to praise Wallace for his toughness and mentioned the team's togetherness as key.
Asked Kenrich Williams about the Cason-Sengun brush up the other night, and how this team goes about upholding a brand of toughness while not being loud about it.
— Joel Lorenzi (@jxlorenzi) December 16, 2024
“I was happy for Cason. His first lil scuffle. We didn’t back down.”
Said Mark Daigneault showed them a clip of… pic.twitter.com/NJlDbEvNwZ
Williams' impact on the team's identity through the years cannot be overstated, and trading him could mean a big hit for the culture.
On-court impact
With Williams' rough-and-tough mentality comes a strong defender. He's showcased the ability to operate as a small-ball center this season amid the absences of centers Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jaylin Williams.
Even though he sits at 6-foot-7, his physicality allows him to rumble with the giants.
Along with his strength comes a skillset perfectly matched for opposing centers. He's shooting 41.7 percent from deep this season, forcing heavy-footed bigs to lumber out beyond the arc to guard him.
If the bigs decide to sit back on Williams, he'll make them pay the price.
He's not limited to the small-ball center role, however, as his size and speed make for a perfect forward alongside (healthy) Thunder centers.
Williams ranks in the 91st percentile in versatility and 80th percentile in portability, per Craftednba. His defensive switchability blends right in with Mark Daigneault's defensive scheme of quick and constant rotations.
Arguably Williams' biggest offensive strength is the Thunder's biggest weakness this season -- Creation. His ability to operate as a secondary creator alongside stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams is crucial to one of the league's most successful offenses.
Lastly, his counting stats and advanced metrics indicate that Williams is playing through a career year. He's currently sporting career highs in field goal percentage (55.9), free throw percentage (1.00), and true shooting percentage (69.2).
This elite efficiency is mightily impressive to go along with averages of 5.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, in a career-low of 13 minutes per game.
All of this impact can be proven by his box plus-minus, which sits at 3.7 on the season (a career-best mark for the veteran).
Lack of better options
Many Thunder fans speculated that Sam Presti would target former Nets guard Dennis Schroder in a trade to bring him back to OKC. The point guard would've been a perfect fit with Oklahoma City as he's already spent years in the program and brought the scoring and creation punch that this team so desperately needs.
It was assumed that had the Thunder made the play to acquire the 12th-year guard, then Williams' $6.7 million salary would be included in the exchange to make the money work. However, Schroder was traded to Golden State, for the cheap price of salary filler and three second-round picks.
One would have to wonder, if Presti wasn't willing to give up Williams for a highly coveted veteran, then what is the asking price for Williams?
There are not many better options than Schroder in terms of salary and fit. As far as players similar to Schroder and on the trade block, he was the best one that Oklahoma City could've realistically targeted, given financial constraints.
It's hard to believe that Presti would be willing to include Williams and pull the trigger on another rumored option like Collin Sexton or Cam Thomas.