Inside The Thunder

Former NBA All-Star Says OKC Thunder Have the Best Duo in NBA Playoffs

Oklahoma City's two All-Stars received recognition recently from a recognizable figure in the basketball world.
Randall Sweet|
Apr 2, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and forward Jalen Williams (8) high five after a play against the Detroit Pistons during the first quarter at Paycom Center.
Apr 2, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and forward Jalen Williams (8) high five after a play against the Detroit Pistons during the first quarter at Paycom Center. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

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Oklahoma City Thunder

On Sunday evening, the Oklahoma City Thunder continued a remarkable 2024-25 campaign with a historic win against the Memhpis Grizzlies.

In the contest, the OKC received strong contributions up and down the roster, only needing a combined 35 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams to defeat Memphis.

Later in the evening, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of their series, led by 56 combined points from Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler. The veteran duo's strong showing prompted a Michelle Beadle to ask DeMarcus Cousins during an episode of Run It Back on FanDuel TV if there were any better duo's in this year's playoffs.

"Absolutely," Cousins answered. "I could go with the duo of Jalen Williams and Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander)."

Even though the duo didn't have eye-popping numbers to open the postseason, Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander have been two catalysts for the team's success this season. Gilgeous-Alexander will likely win the MVP award this season while Williams received All-Star recognition for the first time in his career and has the chance to be an All-NBA honoree as well.

Alongside a fearsome defense, Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams helped propel the Thunder to 68 wins and a historic point differential during the regular season.

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, five rebounds, 1.7 steals and a block per game while shooting 51.9% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc in 76 regular season games. The 26-year-old is the frontrunner to win the MVP, and could cap off a historic season with an impressive postseason run, even after a lackluster showing in Game 1.

Williams tallied 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 36.5% from beyond the arc. An impeccable defender, Williams is a key contributor on both ends of the floor for Oklahoma City.

Even after a solid regular season campaign, Williams will have to prove that he can produce at the same level in the playoffs for the Thunder to make a deep postseason run.

If the duo is able to continue its regular season success in the playoffs, OKC will have a strong chance to reach the NBA Finals.

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Randall Sweet
RANDALL SWEET

Randall Sweet is a 2022 Oklahoma University graduate who has formerly written for the Norman Transcript and OU Daily. Randall also serves as the Communications Coordinator at Visit OKC.

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