In just his second season with the OKC Thunder, Jalen Williams managed to establish himself as a true second option on a top-seeded, legitimate title-contending club.
From upping his scoring productivity from year one to two by five points, his three-point percentage by a whopping 7.1 percentage points, and his overall shooting percentage by 2.1 percent, the 12 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft clearly took massive strides forward in his career trajectory in 2023-24.
However, despite all the praise and recognition he's been receiving for his impressive production during his sophomore season, when sitting down with TI Williams actually acknowledged that the attention being drawn toward his offensive advancements has actually "overshadowed" his efforts on the less glamorous side of the ball, an area in which he believes to be playing at an elite level.
Thunder forward Jalen Williams opens up on his 'elite' defensive efforts
"I think another big thing for me was just talking to the front office and, you know, coach Mark and the coaching staff was just not losing the two-way versatility that I have, playing both sides of the ball. I think my defense is at a really elite level and it kind of gets overshadowed because I'm scoring 20 points a game."
Williams, who finished out last season with a respectable defensive rating of 114 and a positive defensive box plus-minus, would continue to break down the specific versatility he possesses as a defender, noting that he can go from squaring off against quick guards to battling meatier big men down low with relative ease and consistency.
"I'm kind of guarding different positions all year. I guard the one to the four pretty consistently. There's nights where I'll go from Karl-Anthony Towns to getting minutes on Jamal Murray. You look at this past playoffs, I'm guarding Luka and then Kyrie comes in, I'm guarding Kyrie."
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— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 19, 2024
Despite measuring in at just 6-foot-5, the Thunder forward boasts a sensational 7-foot-2 wingspan, allowing him to regularly play bigger than those across the association of a similar height, hence why he was able to slot in as the club's primary power forward despite boasting a build of a traditional two or three.
His length proved to come in handy for him on the defensive side of the ball all year long, as he finished within the top 20 in the league in deflections per game (2.8), ranking ahead of defensive stalwarts Jaren Jackson Jr. (2.7), OG Anunoby (2.6), and Anthony Davis (2.5).
Though the franchise did go out and get a new big man in the likes of Isaiah Hartenstein via free agency, which, to many, suggests Williams may be on his way toward sliding up to small forward, this decision was based primarily on a desire to add more size to their arsenal as opposed to being a sign that the 23-year-old was incapable of holding his own at the four.
His career-high averages of 19.1 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.0 rebounds on 54.0 percent shooting and 42.7 percent shooting from the field were a clear sign of him being capable of manning this unnatural position, and the soon-to-be junior believes both his offensive and defensive abilities played a crucial role in his breakout showing.