OKC Thunder Need Jaylin Williams to Step Up in NBA Cup

Oklahoma City is gearing up for its first matchup of the NBA Cup knockout rounds, and it will need one of its role players to step up to win the in-season tournament this time around.

Going into Wednesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns, the Thunder may have another lengthy injury report. After winning against the Utah Jazz with a plethora of important pieces out of the lineup, the Thunder will certainly be confident in their abilities, regardless of who is on the floor.

However, with Isaiah Hartenstein likely still sidelined with a right soleus strain, the Thunder will need Jaylin Williams to make a clear impact in these higher-stakes regular season contests. Williams hasn’t been all that consistent in the five games since Hartenstein’s absence began, but Mark Daigneault and the Thunder clearly trust him to be an impactful player in the paint, earning starts in the team’s past two games.

While the Suns aren’t necessarily a huge team inside, they outrebounded the Thunder 51-37 in their recent NBA Cup meeting and even had 13 offensive rebounds. Considering Hartenstein was the Thunder’s answer to all of their rebounding problems coming into last season, they will need Williams to pull down some big boards against Phoenix.

Although Devin Booker seems unlikely to play in Wednesday’s matchup, the Suns have still shown they are a capable team without him, most recently winning on Monday night in Minnesota. While the Suns will certainly miss their No. 1 option against an elite Thunder defense, Williams’ ability to secure defensive rebounds will go a long way in ensuring the Phoenix offense can’t get into a rhythm.

Along with grabbing rebounds on the defensive end, the Thunder will need Williams to add something offensively as well, especially if he ends up in the starting five again. In the previous NBA Cup game against the Suns, Williams put up 14 points and shot 3-of-6 from deep, a performance the Thunder would happily take again.

However, he’s struggled to find that same success in the four games since, combining for 14 points and shooting 2-of-15 from deep. Still, he’s had some solid rebounding games, dished out some assists and been a deterrent near the basket throughout that stretch.

For the Thunder to win the NBA Cup with Hartenstein potentially out, Williams will be one of the biggest factors. Considering he can easily play alongside Chet Holmgren or take on minutes at the five by himself, Williams should be ready to give Oklahoma City whatever it needs over the next week.