How Jaylin Williams’ Return Impacts OKC Thunder’s Front Court Outlook

Oklahoma City won its third straight game on Sunday night, and it was the first one of the budding streak that wasn’t a sweat. The Thunder — especially in the second half — seemed to find its old groove and coasted to a double digit win. After the struggles that the last month has brought, it was a welcoming sight to see the Thunder’s brand of basketball on display once again.

The Thunder still struggled to shoot the ball from long range, but there were plenty of signs of familiarity from Oklahoma City’s dominating stretch to begin the season. For starters, the Thunder took care of the ball and forced Miami to make many mistakes. OKC won the turnover battle considerably. And unlike the last handful of games, Oklahoma City won the rebounding battle — that specific aspect proved to be a huge advantage everywhere on the court.

A noticeable element to the Thunder finally winning the rebounding battle was the return of Jaylin Williams to the lineup. With Isaiah Hartenstein out, Oklahoma City’s front court has been an area of struggle. Now that Williams is back in the fold, and clearly having an impact, it gives the Thunder’s outlook in the front court a big boost moving forward.

When Williams was on the floor, everything felt a little bit elevated — especially the effort and energy. He’s similar to Kenrich Williams in the fact that he sets the standard for energy in whatever minutes he’s given on a nightly basis. He’s a big leader on this Thunder team, and he makes sure that his minutes are impactful. His teammates notice, too.

“Aside from basketball, just like his presence being there and actually playing does a lot for our team,” Jalen Williams said. “He knows it. It’s kind of line K-Rich in a sense, just them being there is super important to the energy of our team and just the overall vibe and confidence that the team has.

“And then obviously having him on the court, he’s able to stretch the floor, he’s smart, plays hard — just another energy boost. He just means so much to the team, obviously he means a ton to Oklahoma. He’s just one of those guys that comes in and can affect the game without having to do anything just based off his energy and presence.”

Williams was still easing back into action after his heel injury, but logged 14 minutes and managed to be a +8 when on the floor. He added 9 points and 5 rebounds off the bench, while stuffing the stat sheet with a steal, a block, and an assist, too. He got to the free throw line often, putting pressure on the rim and going a perfect 6-for-6.

The Thunder ended up winning the rebounding battle 46 to 37 and even ripped down 14 offensive boards. Moving forward, having Williams out there gives Oklahoma City another lever to pull and certainly boosts morale on the court. There's a noticeable difference when he's available, and it benefits everyone in the rotation.