Jalen Williams Makes Loud Return in Win Over Dallas
Less than five minutes into his NBA debut Jalen Williams was sidelined after suffering an orbital bone fracture in his right eye.
On Saturday, Williams made his much awaited return to the Thunder lineup. With Josh Giddey out and Tre Mann in the starting lineup, Williams served as the backup point guard.
Williams wasn’t held back at all in his return playing 27 minutes and being a contributing factor in the Thunder’s upset win over Dallas.
He shot an efficient 5-for-8 from the field and scored 13 points making him one of five OKC players in double figures.
The lottery pick did go 0-for-2 from 3-point range, but did have three rebounds and three assists to match with his point total.
Williams was a massive contributor to the Thunder’s defensive push in the overtime game. Williams used his length and ball skills to grab four steals. The total was tied with Mavericks guard Josh Green for the game high.
OKC has now won three straight games and got one key injury back with Williams making his return. It’s unlikely Williams will see the same minute distribution when Giddey returns, but he’ll still see a large minute share along with Tre Mann off of the bench.
Williams was the only Thunder rookie to play in the game against the Mavericks and he made the most of the opportunity.
Coming out of Santa Clara Williams was an efficient shooter, and has carried that into the NBA starting his career 7-of-10 from the field.
Williams showed on Saturday his ability to be a key part of the Thunder’s success, as the team continues to look better.
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