JJ Redick Raves About Oklahoma City 'Star' Jalen Williams

After a surprising season of defying the odds, national attention has started to pick up for the Thunder. The young, talented roster appears to be the media darling at the beginning of a new NBA season. There’s a real chance Oklahoma City will make it back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2021 season.

Obviously, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the ringleader of the group after an MVP-level season a year ago, but the other young players in the Thunder’s core could determine the ceiling of this squad. After last season’s play-in run, Jalen Williams has the chance to be a perfect complimentary star to Gilgeous-Alexander, and former sharpshooter JJ Redick sees the vision.

“Jalen Williams is going to be a star,” Redick said on his podcast. “He may be a star this year. He may be an All-Star this year, that’s not out of the realm of possibility in my mind. Maybe that’s jumping a year or two, but I just think he’s that good. He’s a two-way force.”

Williams finished second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Paolo Banchero and displayed one of the most efficient post-All-Star break runs of any rookie in NBA history. He finished the season averaging 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game on 52.1% from the floor, but his numbers continued to increase with each passing month. By the end of the season, he was arguably the Thunder’s No. 2 scoring option.

If Williams takes another leap or continues at the rate he finished a season ago, Oklahoma City has a chance to make noise in a loaded Western Conference.

“OKC, to me, is one of the most exciting teams in the NBA for this upcoming season,” Redick said. “They’re one of the best stories in the NBA for this upcoming season.

“Similar to some of those teams — Orlando, Detroit, Houston — we’re gonna pay paying more attention to them. I think with OKC, we’re gonna be forced to pay attention to them because I think they’re gonna be that good.”

While other teams have solid young cores, nobody quite matches the Thunder’s blossoming group. We’ve already seen progression and proof of stardom, now it’s about time and patience. This roster is closer than people think, and 2023-24 could be a special year.

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