Jaylin Williams Going From Career-High to No Minutes Showcases Thunder Strategy

Jaylin Williams answered the call.

The rookie center has been filling in at times off of the bench for Aleksej Pokusevski and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who are both injured.

A second rounder, he hasn’t blown away fans on the stat sheet, but he’s been able to fill a giant void in the Thunder lineup while he’s developing.

On Thursday, Williams' role changed. He was tabbed as a starter for the fourth time in his his 12th NBA game.

He made it count.

Williams, facing one of the best big men in the NBA in Joel Embiid, posted his best career game.

He scored 11 points, grabbed five rebounds and went 5-for-7 shooting on the night.

Williams was key in helping the Thunder secure a shocking victory over Philadelphia.

On Friday following the win, OKC played in Chicago to continue their short road trip. The team rolled out a different starting lineup, which isn’t new for the Thunder team.

On Friday Mike Muscala replaced Williams in the lineup, who was not listed on the injury report.

Not only did Williams not start, he didn't register any playing time. Muscala did play 24 minutes where he made a slight offensive impact.

He scored eight points and added four rebounds. The savvy veteran struggled to shoot the ball going 3-for-10 from the field and 2-of-9 from 3-point range. He was the only starter to not score in double figures.

The sudden switch in minutes isn’t unexpected as both have been used in more of an emergency role this season, and bring vastly different skill sets to the table.

Muscala, while listed as a center, is more of an exterior threat with his shooting ability from beyond the arc. Williams on the other hand makes his living in the paint and plays more like a true NBA center.

Constantly changing minutes and rotations has been part of OKC’s strategy this year. It gets guys different looks, in some cases it gets younger players more minutes to develop at the highest level and it constantly makes opponents strategize for many different looks.

The Thunder have capitalized on their depth and will likely continue to do so as the season moves forward toward the All-Star Break.

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