Thunder End of The Year Report Card: Kenrich Williams
SI Thunder continues its end of season report card series, this time highlighting OKC's high intensity, all-out forward Kenrich Williams. Here are InsideTheThunder.com's grades for Williams:
Derek Parker's Grade: B
Kenrich Williams was the ultimate do-it-all player for Oklahoma City this season.
Deemed ‘Kenny Hustle’ by his teammates at TCU, Williams earned every bit of his nickname. The forward averaged 8.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game this season, shooting 53.3 percent from the floor.
Williams was reportedly in trade talks near the deadline, but seems to have earned himself a longterm role on the rebuilding roster.
Primarily playing the bench role this season, Williams still managed to see 21.6 minutes of action in 66 games this season. He made 13 starts.
Williams isn’t going to wow you with an offensive onslaught or perfect playmaking, but his all-out play was certainly worthy of a B grade.
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Nick Crain's Grade: B+
Kenrich Williams had a career year in his first season with the Thunder. Coming into the NBA at age 24, he spent his first two seasons in New Orleans where he didn’t make much of an impact.
While he actually didn’t see a bump in minutes in OKC, his production skyrocketed. Not only did he increase his points per game from 3.5 to 8.0 year-over-year, but his shooting splits were exceptional. In the 2019-20 season, Williams shot 34.7 percent from the floor and 25.8 percent from deep. In his first season with the Thunder, he improved those numbers to 53.3 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Williams was viewed as just an extra body by many when the season started for OKC. In fact, he was signed to a deal in which only his first year had any guaranteed money. By the time the trade deadline came around, many teams were calling with interest in the do it all forward who truly does everything right.
Additionally, he played a key role off the floor, being called the most respected person in the locker room by head coach Mark Daigneault. While we don’t know if he’ll be able to keep up this level of production long-term, Williams was one of the most improved players in the NBA this season.
Ryan Chapman's Grade: A
Kenrich Williams wasn't expected to make much of an impact for Oklahoma City.
Coming to the Thunder as a part of the Steven Adams trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, Williams was just supposed to help round out the bench and be a warm body for OKC this year.
Instead, what the Thunder got was their spark plug off the bench, the ultimate hustle guy, and a locker room leader.
In his third year in the NBA, Williams was more than just a high energy guy, posting his best shooting season by far.
Shooting 53.3 percent from the floor, the former TCU Horned Frog knocked down 44 percent of his attempts from 3-point range, also flashing the ability to play-make for his teammates with the ball in his hands.
Once you add in his above average defense and his willingness to hit the floor at any moment for a loose ball or rebound, and suddenly the Thunder have a bench asset any team would love.
Williams had a great year in 2020-21, playing his way from a bench add-on to a guy the Thunder are looking forward to bringing back and developing for another season under Mark Daigneault.
