Jaylin Williams has firmly established himself as a beloved core rotation member for the OKC Thunder throughout his four-year tenure. Behind his steadily improving defensive chops, efficient floor-spacing skills, and contagious on-court energy, Williams is universally regarded as one of the best backup bigs in the association today.
However, with Oklahoma City's ongoing battle to stay under the second apron moving forward, the 24-year-old is widely considered a player they could move on from in the not-too-distant future as part of a fiscally driven decision.
The fact that the Thunder hold a club option for his 2027-28 season makes this proposed hypothetical even easier to turn into reality.
Now, as of right now, one should consider Williams' spot on coach Mark Daigneault's depth chart safe. However, Thomas Sorber is an under-the-radar talent who could complicate this rotational security of his, especially if he can tap into a perimeter-oriented offensive game.
The red shirted first-round pick from the 2025 draft already has the defensive chops, rebounding skills, and athleticism that this Thunder team should be coveting to see within their big man rotation.
Add a long-range shooting game to his repitoire, and the idea of declining Williams' $7.7 million option ahead of next year's campaign may become all the more enticing for the cash-strapped Thunder.
Jaylin Williams living proof Thunder youngster can develop his shot
Ironically, Williams is a perfect example why there's hope for someone like Sorber to develop a perimeter offensive game in the pros.
During his two-year stint at Arkansas, the big man was never known as a serious threat from beyond the arc, as he hoisted 94 shots from deep in total throughout his collegiate career, making just 24.
Since joining on with OKC, however, Williams has become one of the team's most trusted shooters from distance almost out of nowhere, boasting a career clip of 38.9 percent while cashing in on an average of 2.9 shots per game.
Sorber wrapped up his injury-shortened, lone season at Georgetown converting on just 16.2 percent of his shots from deep, but showed a similar willingness as Williams to let it fly with an average of 1.5 attempts per game.
While this clip is far from desirable to see, what's encouraging is that Sorber cashed in on a respectable 72.4 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe, a metric many often associate with a player's overall touch as a shooter.
If he can find a way to translate this touch toward the perimeter, it would essentially be game over for Jay Will in a Thunder uniform.
Add us as a preferred source on Google