Jalen Williams Reveals He Feels OKC Thunder Have Become 'The Hunted'

The Oklahoma City Thunder (37-17) have gotten off to a fantastic start this season, sitting 20 games over .500 at the All-Star Break for the fifth time in team history. Despite having the second-youngest roster in the NBA, the Thunder have jockeyed for the top seed in the Western Conference nightly, currently sitting a game back of first place 54 games into the season.

While many expected Oklahoma City to take a step up, to be this good this fast was not on many people's bingo cards. Jalen Williams has been a large part of that, taking a leap on both ends of the floor. The 12th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft is averaging 19.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.5 stocks per game while shooting 54 percent from the floor, 45 percent from beyond the arc, and 81 percent at the free throw line.

Along with the Sophomore making strides, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has blossomed into an indisputable superstar again, averaging over 30 points per game, with improved playmaking and a massive defensive impact. All the while, Chet Holmgren has made his long-awaited NBA debut to the tune of 16.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 3.3 stocks per game.

A year ago, the Thunder caught the entire NBA by surprise, improving their win total by 16 games and finishing a result shy of the NBA Playoffs, falling to Minnesota in the Play-In tournament. While it was easy to overlook Oklahoma City a year ago, it is impossible to do now.

Jalen Williams joined JJ Reddick on his Old Man and the Three Podcast, where he was asked if it feels as though the Thunder have gone from the hunters to the hunted.

"We feel that, for sure, especially at the beginning of the year last year...teams were kinda resting their players against us, now that is a completely different dynamic. This whole season feels way different, I feel like we are getting everybody's best shot every night. I think that has honestly kind of helped us throughout the year, just because we are a little bit more battle-tested throughout the regular season...How we are scouted, how we are played every night is way different from last year." Williams explained.

You can see the level of intensity in these games ratchet up from where they were a season ago, which is largely due to the Thunder's impressive year-over-year improvement. Sitting just three games away from matching their win total a season ago at the All-Star break, the Thunder are in prime position to host a playoff series.

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