How Jalen Williams Can Open Up OKC Thunder Offense With Outside Shooting

Oklahoma City has suffered two of its three losses on the season in the span of the last week. It’s obviously nothing to panic about, but the Thunder have a few things to figure out.

In both losses, Oklahoma City’s offense has really sputtered. It feels like there’s always a specific quarter where the offense goes completely dry. Against the Spurs, it was the second quarter that plagued the Thunder after a fast start. On Friday night in Minnesota, the Thunder once again struggled in the second frame, but then couldn’t close when it mattered most. Oklahoma City scored just 22 points in the final quarter and got outscored by seven.

In the fourth quarter on Friday night, Jalen Williams was certainly part of the problem — but moving forward, he has a chance to be part of the solution. Williams played 10 minutes in the final quarter, and went 0-for-5 from the floor and 0-for-2 from behind the 3-point line.

Outside of the final frame, Williams actually played a pretty solid game. He continued his three-game stretch of finding his stroke from downtown — now up to 40% on the season in a short sample size. Over the last three games, Williams is 6-of-11 from 3-points range.

A noticeable difference from last season, though, is how his volume has dropped big time. Last season, it was a clear point of emphasis for Williams to increase his 3-point volume and take more outside shots. He had been ultra efficient for the entirety of his short career, but wasn’t necessarily a volume outside shooter.

Last season, he attempted a career-high 4.9 triples per night. Through nine games so far this season, Williams is attempting just 2.8 triples per game — a shockingly low number. This would be the fewest amount of attempts for him since his rookie season, when he took 2.7 per game.

This Thunder team needs Jalen Williams to shoot with confidence from the outside again, he's one of the team's best shooters. In the losses, Oklahoma City's offense has gone stagnant and the floor has gotten smaller. If Williams keeps his 40% efficiency and returns to his former volume, the Thunder's offense will benefit greatly.

He's a solid catch-and-shoot guy, and with a focus on that, his offense as a whole could get back on track. Sometimes, the isolations seem forced, and he just needs to get back to the basics. His outside shot could get him back on track, and the Thunder's offense as a whole could follow.