Inside the making of a two-way star: how Jalen Williams helped power the Thunder to the NBA title

When Chet Holmgren injured his hip in the early months of the just-finished season, the Oklahoma City Thunder hit a serious bump in the road. It wasn’t just that one of their best players was sidelined for several weeks – his absence overlapped with injuries to the team’s two other big men, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams. So who was head coach Mark Daigneault supposed to start at center?

He didn’t hesitate: Jalen Williams, the team’s 6′6″ shooting guard, stepped in as the five.

Williams taking NBA in his stride

In today’s NBA, where traditional positions matter less than ever and versatility is king, Williams fits the mold perfectly. During that stretch, he went toe-to-toe with the likes of Ivica Zubac, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama – all of them towering over him. None had it easy. Every inch near the basket became a battlefield, and Williams was always up for the fight.

He may not be tall – something he’s been reminded of since he first picked up a basketball at five years old. At school, in high school, in college, scouts constantly questioned whether he had what it took. But what Williams lacks in height, he more than makes up for in strength, grit, an enormous wingspan (they had to measure him 11 times at the NBA Combine to believe it), intelligence and an elite work ethic.

With that toolkit, he has risen to become the second-best player on the Thunder – now the newly crowned NBA champions. A kind of modern-day Scottie Pippen, still somewhat in the shadow of MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but less so with every passing game. Shai knows he’s in safe hands when he calls on his lieutenant. “You’d be a fool to put a ceiling on how good he can be,” Daigneault says. Williams can defend anyone from point guards to centers, bring the ball up, run the offense, grab steals, block shots, and score more than anyone on the team when needed. “Who else can do that in this league? I guess there’s a list, but it’s pretty short,” says Daigneault, who calls his player “a Renaissance man.”

Lakers roots and the Kobe connection

Williams entered the NBA three years ago as the 12th pick for Oklahoma City. He’s improved in every area of his game since. This year marked a breakthrough – his first All-Star appearance, a place on the All-NBA Third Team, and a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team. He posted career highs across the board: 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. His drive to grow – to prove people wrong – is likely rooted in his lifelong battle with height disadvantages and his devotion to Kobe Bryant. A lifelong Lakers fan, a passion passed down from his father, Williams always saw the Black Mamba as the ultimate role model.

That relentless climb, especially since arriving in Oklahoma, has turned him into an NBA star – something few, if any, would have predicted a few years ago. And his new stature has elevated the Thunder into a different stratosphere.Once just a promising team with strong fundamentals, they’ve transformed into a near-perfect machine, completing the third-winningest season in NBA history with 84 total victories.

When Jalen Williams hits peak form – something that happens more and more frequently – and shares the floor with Shai, the Thunder become nearly unstoppable.

“Jalen’s greatness is the sum of everything he does,” says Daigneault. “Basketball is a complex sport. You can’t be great if you’re only good at one thing – but he’s good at everything.” A 21st-century Pippen. A second option of the highest caliber for the NBA’s new champions.

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