OKC Thunder End of Season Report Card: Jalen Williams

The Oklahoma City Thunder capped off a brilliant 2023-24 campaign with a 57-25 record that saw the Bricktown boys win their first playoff series since 2016. Despite falling in six games to the eventual Western Conference Champion Dallas Mavericks in the second round, the Thunder season could be described as nothing short of a success.

As the year concludes, it is time for our OKC Thunder End of the Year Report Card to cycle through every player on the roster to give them a final grade mark and project into the future. Today it's Jalen Williams' final exam.

Season Recap

Closing out his freshman campaign, Williams was clearly a rising star. In year two, he took another leap as a bigger, stronger and more versatile scorer while the defensive chops to help Oklahoma City earn a top-five defense.

One of the biggest leaps Williams made was his physicality at the rim, willing to put his body on defenders to knock them off their spot and convert at a 70 percent clip at the cup. He shot effectively at every area on the floor including 49 percent in the mid-range, 50 percent on corner triples and 42 percent on non-corner triples.

His rim-finishing and difficult mid-range magic helped him become one of the best players in the league during closing time. His fourth-quarter takeovers became a staple of his game before the year let out and you can tie plenty of the Thunder's 57 wins back to the final frame spark Williams provided.

Williams averaged 19.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.7 stocks per game while 1.212 points per possession in transition, 1.400 points per position on cuts, and ranking in the 83rd percentile as a pick-and-roll ball handler. The Santa Clara product provided countless energy-giving moments roaring into the crowd as the emotional leader on the floor which turned the tide in games.

The 23-year-old was also excellent defending the pick-and-roll letting up just 0.7 points per possession, conceding just 0.8 points per possession in isolation and 0.9 points per possession in the post.

While his season ended with a disappointing series in the second round, it should not taint an otherwise fantastic season - asking a second-year player to be spotless in his first postseason run is unfair.

Grade: A, there isn't much else the Santa Clara product could've done this season, checking a lot of boxes

What to Improve on

The Oklahoma City Thunder have watched Williams perform at superstar levels for the majority of his Sophomore season, heading into year three the biggest area of growth for the Santa Clara product will be tapping back into his point guard roots and improving as a table setter.

With more touches and gravity as a scorer, he has a heightened responsibility to set up his teammates especially working with Chet Holmgren in the pick-and-roll. Those two found chemistry in that setting as the season went along connecting on an abundance of lobs to make music on the hardwood.

Being able to make more advanced reads and whip passes to the corner from drives would elevate his game to the next level and polish an already top-five offense.

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