Predicting the Thunder's perfect starting lineup after ideal offseason

Small forward: Jalen Williams

It is safe to say that Jalen Williams could likely thrive in several spots within the Thunder's starting lineup, but the matter of him being in the starting five is absolutely a certainty. Oklahoma City and their staff have of course been thrilled by his development since he was drafted by the organization 12th overall in the 2022 draft.

Williams came into the league NBA-ready but has quickly progressed into a borderline All-Star level talent. Finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2022-23 right behind top overall pick Paolo Banchero, Jalen showed right away that he can be one of the franchise's cornerstones right alongside SGA and Holmgren.

This past season, J-Dub enjoyed a promising sophomore season. Averaging just under 20 points per game on 54/42/81% shooting splits while finishing fourth in Most Improved Player award voting, he proved that he is not one of the most exciting "next up" players, he is already here on the scene.

Jalen may have had a disappointing outing or two in the playoffs, and certainly a 14-point game on 5-for-19 shooting is less than desirable. But sometimes with talented young players such as him, we can almost forget that they are still in their early 20s and bound to have off games. The future is still incredibly bright for J-Dub, and there is no reason he should not be back in the starting lineup again next season.