On Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Indiana Pacers in dreadful fashion.
OKC just seemed flat the whole game. From Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Oliver Sarr, the team just didn’t have it. That’s because the team’s spark was in street clothes. Jalen Williams missed that game against the Pacers, and OKC’s energy was nowhere to be found.
With Williams being reinserted into the lineup against the Dallas Mavericks, OKC rediscovered its usual burst. Williams radiated from the screen on multiple occasions, including an emphatic, Lebron-style, chase-down block in transition on Mavericks forward Derrick Jones Jr. Williams’ energy and defensive prowess played a big part in OKC closing out the Luka Doncic-less Mavericks 126-119 in an explosive offensive showcase from the stars in the game.
Kyrie Irving, Williams, and Gilgeous-Alexander put on a show for all who watched, putting a dazzling display of elite shot-making from the perimeter and insane finishes around the rim.
Williams’ energy was infectious for OKC, which looked more like itself than a few days prior against Indiana.
Along with playing the role of energizer, Williams also fueled OKC’s fourth-quarter offense, making multiple impressive attacks at the rim, and acting as a defacto point guard in the minutes Gilgeous-Alexander was on the bench.
The game offered Williams a chance to introduce who he has turned into to a national audience, and he showed no hesitation in doing what he has all season long. Williams led the team in blocks, spent time guarding Kyrie Irving, and was the Thunder’s offensive engine for long stretches. During a game where Gilgeous-Alexander had little going outside of getting to the free throw line, OKC needed Williams to step up and play like a star, and he did just that.
Williams finished the game with a 27-5-4 stat line, along with 1 steal and 3 blocks.
Williams was arguably OKC’s best player Thursday and was only outshined by Irving, who had 36 points on the night, and felt like he scored even more.
The game firmly established, yet again, that Williams is a star in the making, and will only continue to grow as the season goes on. His two-way brilliance is a perfect compliment to Gilgeous-Alexander, and he often looks like SGA when hunting for his spots.
It was just the Mavericks, without Doncic at that, but Williams continued ascent up the star ladder is promising for OKC nevertheless.
