Could OKC Thunder Offseason Shake Up Jaylin Williams' Role?

With the Thunder projected to add big men this summer, what does that mean for Williams' role?

May 30, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jaylin Williams (6) reacts in the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs during game seven of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

This offseason could shake things up for certain Thunder players. 

After falling short this past season, the Oklahoma City Thunder are doing everything they can to put themselves in the best position to take the title once again next year. This means getting players prepared to improve and take on elevated roles, as well as putting the best possible team together for the 2026-27 season. 

In doing so, some players' roles could in fact change, and that might be the case for Jaylin Williams. Williams has thrived in the role the Thunder have given him, as he has been the perfect big man in OKC’s small-ball lineup. Now, Williams being present in the small-ball lineup might not be the thing that changes, but how often it’s used might be. 

This past season, with only two true rotational big men in Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, the Thunder had a hard time keeping a true big man on the floor at all times. Thus, Jaylin Williams stepped into the role and thrived at it, allowing OKC to stretch the floor, as well as holding down the middle on the defensive end. 

However, the Thunder are looking to add some big men to the roster, which could be interesting for Williams' role. For one, Thomas Sorber is set to make his NBA debut next season, after missing the whole year with an ACL tear. Sorber’s insane wingspan of seven and a half feet could be useful for OKC down low when both Holmgren and Hartenstein are out of the game. 

The Thunder are also projected to take a big man in this year’s upcoming draft. As mentioned with OKC’s lack of traditional bigs, this rookie could get serious minutes out of the gate as OKC would look to develop him fast. 

Williams could see himself move up to the three or four position on the court, which wouldn’t harm the Arkansas product much. He is still able to spread the floor and hit open threes for the Thunder, and recently had the best scoring year of his career this past season, averaging 7.2 points per game. 

This might be the case in the regular season, but you could bet that when things get tough, OKC will still rely on Williams to be the anchor in the middle. He has shown he is perfect for his role and has helped the Thunder out in many situations. OKC might be moving towards a team with more traditional bigs, but as of now, Williams is here to stay.