Kenrich Williams Continues to Become More Important for OKC Thunder

Oklahoma City added another win on the road on Wednesday night, and one of its veterans is continuing to carve out a key role.

While the Thunder’s 122-102 win in Milwaukee was headlined by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s ridiculous night and some more drama postgame from Giannis Antetokounmpo’s quotes, Oklahoma City moved to 37-8 this season, firmly atop the Western Conference following their latest win against an Eastern Conference rival.

Alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, Ajay Mitchell shined with an 18-point first half before a hip contusion ended his night early. Although the Thunder have come to expect those types of performances from their backcourt creators, Kenrich Williams delivered off the bench once again.

In just under 28 minutes of action, Williams put up 18 points and eight rebounds while shooting 8-of-13 from the floor, including a couple of threes. Add in a couple of assists, and Williams’ game was one of his best all-around of the season.

Since making his debut in late November, Williams has steadily increased his output and effectiveness on the floor. As injuries continue to push others in and out of the lineup, Williams has been a pillar of consistency for Mark Daigneault on that front, missing no games due to injury since making his first appearance.

While the entire Thunder roster is subjected to varying playing time because of matchups or situations, there might not be any player on the squad who that applies to more drastically than Williams. While he put up a nice 18 points in Wednesday’s contest and flirted with 30 minutes on the floor, he’s also only two games removed from playing two minutes in Miami and not even getting a shot up.

Still, it’s clear that Williams could be a key contributor for the Thunder when the postseason comes around, particularly if the Thunder face some worse injury luck than they did on their title run a year ago. Although Williams’ outbursts like his 18-point game in Milwaukee or 21-point night in Memphis a couple of weeks ago are far from the expectation, his ability to have stretches like that could loom large when the Thunder need a boost in the playoffs.

Add in Williams’ versatility defensively and his ability to gel offensively with any group, and there’s a case to be made that the eighth-year forward should be a key piece of the Thunder’s postseason plan in 2026. It remains to be seen if Williams gets his opportunity in the postseason, but he’s shown that he’s as ready as ever to make an impact on the big stage this season.