Jalen Williams is the NBA's most underrated player (and the only comps are stars)

The Oklahoma City Thunder went from the lottery to the top seed in the Western Conference as their young talent blossomed. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander jumped into the MVP conversation, and Chet Holmgren was in the running for Rookie of the Year. Those two stole the headlines, and left Jalen Williams deserving so much more. He gets some media love, but the average NBA fan may not even know about J-Dub.

Williams averaged 19.1 points, 4.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 31.3 minutes per game last season. The 6’5 wing did it as he shot 54.0 percent from the field, 42.7 percent on his 3-point tries, and 81.4 percent from the foul line. He is an absolute bucket. J-Dub was 13th in the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring and his percentages improved in those situations.

Williams is known for his trash talk, but his game speaks volumes. The 23-year-old is a versatile two-way wing with three-level scoring ability. It makes him one of the best young talents in the game and the top player nobody discusses in that conversation.

Jalen Williams is the NBA’s most underrated player

Williams finished 32nd in win shares last season. He has ahead of Stephen Curry, Bam Adebayo, Kyrie Irving, Pascal Siakam, Donovan Mitchell, and many others. It is his unique blend of strong play on both ends of the floor. Williams is a versatile defender capable of locking up the league’s best scorers. He can also get buckets from anywhere. Not many others can compare with his two-way chops.

Williams finished ninth in 3-point percentage last season and is still years away from his peak. The Thunder do not need him to but do not be surprised to see him blossom into a 25-point per-game scorer and become an All-Star in 2025. Oklahoma City is the favorite to win the West, and Williams will be one of three Thunder generating All-NBA buzz.

Nobody is mentioning him among the league’s best players, but only Anthony Edwards, Kawhi Leonard, and his teammate SGA can match Williams’ two-way ability. The 23-year-old was 31st in estimated defensive plus-minus (EDPM) last season with just a handful of the best defensive wings ahead of him.

Fans know the list of three-level scorers is small. Throwing in the ability to be a lockdown defender shrinks it to only the absolute best of the best. Jalen Williams deserves to be mentioned among that group already and is still years away from his prime. He is a top 30 player to start the season and may be in the top 15 by the time the playoffs roll around.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have three of the best young players in the NBA and are on pace to be elite for the foreseeable future. This could be a special group that brings a championship to OKC. Much has to break right, but they are already a feared team. Now imagine when Jalen Williams, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Chet Holmgren are all in their primes. The sky is the limit.