Jalen Williams becomes second WCC player taken by Thunder at No. 12
Williams going in the lottery makes him and Holmgren the first pair of WCC players to go in the top 14 since 1978 (photo courtesy of Denver Stiffs).
Chet Holmgren had the highest odds of going to the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 2 in the 2022 NBA Draft, but what surprised many is another West Coast Conference product in Santa Clara's Jalen Williams now joining him in OKC. drafted with the Thunder's second pick of the draft at 12th overall, The 6-foot-6 junior guard has become the first Bronco player drafted into the NBA since hall of famer Steve Nash.
Now it looks like two all-WCC first teamers will be pairing up in Oklahoma City to fill out a roster with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lou Dort and all-NBA rookie team point guard Josh Giddey. It’s the first time that two players from the WCC have been taken in the top 14 picks since 1978 when San Francisco teammates James Hardy and Winford Boynes went 11 and 13 respectively, before the draft lottery existed and when there were 10 rounds.
Williams, from Gilbert, Arizona, averaged the second most points in the WCC last season as a junior at 18 points a game on efficient 46.9% field goal shooting and converting almost 40% of his attempts from deep. He propelled Santa Clara to the NIT tournament last season, the first time the Broncos have played in a nonconference postseason tournament since 2013.
In two games against the Zags last season, Williams put up a combined 32 points on 35.4% shooting. The Perry High School graduate also averaged 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists last season as well, proving himself to be a versatile guard that could stretch into a wing position at his size if need be.
The Oklahoma City Thunder finished with a 24-58 record last season, the fourth worst record in the league which helped them obtain the No. 2 overall pick to select Holmgren. The Thunder and General Manager Sam Presti are known for acquiring draft capital, and the 12th pick Oklahoma City used for Williams was one of five first round picks the team gained from sending Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019.
Right before Williams was selected, the Thunder traded several future first round draft picks to acquire French big Ousmane Dieng who the New York Knicks had just taken with the 11th overall pick. It hasn’t been disclosed yet exactly which future first round picks the Thunder let go of to nab the team’s third rookie of the night, but now it looks like Oklahoma City has Holmgren, Dieng and Williams with one more pick in the first round (No. 30) and one in the second round (No. 34) still left to go.
