Jalen Williams Answers If Winning Is Getting ‘Boring’ for 24–1 Thunder

The reigning champs are tied for the greatest start to a season in NBA history.
Williams is averaging 17.3 points and 6.2 assists per game this season.
Williams is averaging 17.3 points and 6.2 assists per game this season. / Rob Gray-Imagn Images
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The Thunder thrashed the Suns 138–89 on Wednesday night to advance to the NBA Cup semifinals and improve to 24–1 on the season.

Oklahoma City’s one loss through 25 games is tied for the best start to an NBA season in history with the 2015-16 Warriors, who went on to win a record 73 games. But the Thunder aren’t just winning games. They are completely dominating every opponent that walks onto the floor.

Last season, the Thunder set the all-time record for the largest average margin of victory at 12.9 points; this year, Oklahoma City is winning by an average of 17.5 points per game. At times, it looks like the Thunder are playing a video game on easy mode.

Is dominating to this extent getting boring for the reigning NBA champions? Thunder forward Jalen Williams was asked that exact question Wednesday night.

“Winning is never boring,” Williams said. “Because there was a time when some guys on our team were getting blown out. Not going to name names, but we lost by 70. I think a lot of guys still have that in the back of their mind.

“Even me my first year, we weren’t winning a ton. We were solid, but I have that in the back of my mind. You can’t get bored with the process.”

Williams was selected by the Thunder with the No. 12 pick of the 2022 draft. At the time, the Thunder were coming off a 24–58 season in 2021-22 that earned them the No. 2 pick in the lottery. Oklahoma City exited that draft night in 2022 with Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams—three key contributors that helped the franchise win its first NBA championship since it was the Seattle SuperSonics in 1978-79.

That 70-point loss Williams referred to was actually a 73-point loss—Oklahoma City’s 152–79 loss to the Grizzlies on Dec. 2, 2021—the largest blowout in NBA history. While Williams himself wasn’t on that team, several current Thunder players were, including reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous Alexander and Luguentz Dort.

The Thunder narrowly missed the playoffs in Williams’s rookie season, went to the Western Conference semifinals in his second campaign and won the NBA Finals last year. Now, the Thunder—who own the Clippers’ first-round pick in 2026 that very well could be a top-five selection—look like they’re in the early days of what could be an NBA dynasty.

“We’re just playing hard. Not all of these games are going to be blowouts,” Williams said. “We don’t take them for granted, either. Winning is winning—we’ll take ugly wins, we’ll take pretty wins. It’s just how much better can we get in the wins. We’ve had some blowouts where we’re not really satisfied with how we won, and we have games where it’s close and we like the way we played.

“It’s basketball. You can’t get tired of winning.”

The Thunder have a chance to further add to their growing trophy case in the NBA Cup. They’ll play the Spurs in the semifinals on Saturday in Las Vegas in hopes to advance to the title game Tuesday night.


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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.