Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been the primary recipient of credit for the historic 57-win campaign the OKC Thunder just pulled off in 2023-24, and rightly so.
After all, the man found himself serving as the club's lone All-Star selection, finishing second in the running for league MVP, and became just the first player since steals were officially recorded to register at least 30.0 points, 6.0 assists, and 2.0 steals on a per-night basis.
That said, while SGA may have been the driving force in their magical campaign, he was by no means the only noteworthy contributor that helped pave the way, as he had several key players surrounding him during their top-seed escapades, one of whom was standout sophomore, Jalen Williams.
Despite playing out of position (a natural small forward who served as OKC's primary four) for the entire year, the 23-year-old managed to put forth sensational production, posting incredible averages of 19.1 points, 4.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.1 steals while cashing in on 54.0 percent of his shots from the floor and 42.7 percent from distance.
On top of this, he also registered the third-best plus-minus on the Thunder at +2.3.
Though he may have taken a major leap in his career by putting up All-Star-worthy numbers and helping guide Oklahoma City to the second-best record in the NBA as their regular number-two option, in a shocking turn of events Williams didn't even place within the top-three within the illustrious 2024 Most Improved Player award, as he finished fourth in the race.
While such a turnout may have been a bit insulting to some, it's obvious that the soon-to-be third-year pro's trajectory stretches far beyond just a mere MIP moniker, and in a recent piece penned by Grant Hughes, the Bleacher Report writer would go on to state: "With great size and an extremely balanced game, Williams is going to feature in the All-NBA discussion for years to come."
Thunder star Jalen Williams projected to 'feature' in All-NBA chatter
A legitimate two-way stud, the 2022 lottery pick sports a game that has drawn many lofty comparisons to stars both past and present, with perhaps the most notable and relevant being two-time NBA Champion and LA Clippers centerpiece, Kawhi Leonard.
"There's a lot of Kawhi when I watch Jalen Williams."@BillSimmons and @ryenarussillo discuss the potential of Jalen Williams after his massive game yesterday at MSG: pic.twitter.com/xVhiFyAzq7
— The Ringer (@ringer) April 1, 2024
Now, granted, there's still plenty of work that needs to be done with his game before we can anoint him "Kawhi 2.0," as The Ringer's Bill Simmons suggested, but considering he's still only heading into year three and is attached to a rookie-scale contract through 2025-26, this is the type of buzz that is bound to get any Thunder fan excited.
Assuming he can take that third-year leap in a similar way to how Leonard did -- guided San Antonio to the 2014 NBA Championship while winning Finals MVP --, the sky is truly the limit for the young Thunder forward and, frankly, this franchise as a whole with him SGA, and Chet Holmgren in tow.
Fortunately, it already appears Williams is hungry to do just this, as he revealed in an interview with Thunderous Intentions earlier this summer that his goal is to take "multiple steps" forward in his career.
Hopefully, 2024-25 will see him take not just a stride but several and, if last year showed us anything, it's that he's more than capable of doing so.