Jaylin Williams Could See an Uptick in Playoff Minutes

Oklahoma City’s backup big might have to step up in a bigger role the rest of the series.

The Thunder squeaked out a win on Sunday night in an instant classic. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drilled an and-one that sent the arena into a frenzy, and Cason Wallace put the clamps on CJ McCollum on the last play of the game to take game one. Heading into the second game of what could be a very competitive series, now it’s time for the Thunder to make adjustments.

For the most part, the first game of Oklahoma City’s playoff run looked like a regular season game rotation wise. The Thunder played 11 guys and nobody played over 40 minutes. It has worked all season, and it worked on Sunday night — although barely.

It’s hard to make adjustments for an off night of shooting, and that’s exactly what happened to the Thunder. It’s unlikely that the best 3-point shooting team in the NBA will be held under 100 points again.

One adjustment that could be made, though, is limiting the Pelicans’ second chance points. New Orleans killed Oklahoma City on the offensive glass in a few late possessions, and Jonas Valanciunas racked up 13 points and 20 rebounds. Chet Holmgren did a solid job, but he can’t do it all by himself. That’s where Jaylin Williams can step up.

Williams had a great game in just seven minutes of action and gave the Thunder a huge boost off the bench. He totaled six points, two rebounds and a steal, and was a +1 overall. He fought hard for rebounds and kept the energy high at all times.

We’ve seen Mark Daigneault play Holmgren and Williams on the floor together at times this season, and it has been very effective in spurts. That’s a lineup Oklahoma City could turn to.

New Orleans doesn’t have many drivers off the dribble on the roster, so Holmgren could stay with their forwards and wings on the perimeter. He could be a roamer on defense and provide length and rim protection without having to bang down load with Valanciunas. Williams could be Oklahoma City’s source of physicality down low.

It feels like a tough series for Kenrich Williams to play heavy minutes given New Orleans’ size and strength, which would open the door for more Jaylin Williams minutes too.

The Thunder’s backup big man has been a leader on and off the floor all season long, and would be ready to step up in a big way.

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