3 Thunder players who exceeded expectations on the way to No. 1 seed

Jalen Williams

Second-year players in the NBA, especially those who had great rookie seasons, have been notorious for sophomore slumps. However, slump is a word that was not found in Jalen Williams’ vocabulary this season. 

The sophomore's per-game numbers rose to 19.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 71 contests played, cementing his place as second-in-command within the rotation and making himself one of the core players for the Thunder moving forward. 

After a successful first season where he finished as runners-up in the Rookie of the Year race, the 23-year-old was given more responsibilities on offense as he was often used as the reliever on minutes without the Thunder’s undisputed best player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 

J-Dub has also been lethal in fourth quarters, tallying a total of 437 points in the final periods, which tied Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic for the 12-best mark in the entire association.

To put it bluntly, Williams did not have a normal second year. With the trust given to him by the coaching staff, the wing proved that he is more than capable of leading lineups on the floor and impacting both ends of the game, unlike most sophomores in the league. 

Additionally, he averaged 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks per game this season, attesting to his two-way chops. 

As expectations continue to demand more from him moving forward, Jalen Williams will undoubtedly be a household name in Thunder lore.