Why Jalen Williams Will Be Even Better in 2025-26

OKC Thunder forward Jalen Williams etched his name in NBA lore on June 16, 2025, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals when he scored 40 points in a 120-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers to give the Thunder a 3-2 series advantage. He became the fifth-youngest player to ever score 40 points in a finals game.

He was irreplaceable to his team. Williams was a second option on a championship-winning team, something only a few people can claim. Through highs and lows, the Santa Clara product was key in the Thunder taking the Larry O'Brien Trophy to Oklahoma City for the first time.

Williams averaged 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game during the Thunder's finals run last season. He averaged 21.6 points per game in the regular season while being named Third Team All-NBA and Second Team All-Defense.

After winning the title, Williams and General Manager Sam Presti revealed that the forward would need surgery on a torn wrist ligament. He suffered the injury before the playoffs began and played through the pain throughout the entire run.

“The part that I’m most impressed with is in our modern era, when someone has a poor performance... You often see a little birdie make sure that everybody knows that the player is not 100%,” Presti said in his end-of-season interview.

"Never happened with this guy, not one time. He powered through," Presti said.

It is hard to expect much of a leap after a season as good as Williams's last, but he has shown that imagined ceilings are pointless for his game after becoming the first All-NBA player of his draft class despite his No. 12 selection. The 24-year-old 's work ethic shows exactly why it'll happen.

The 6-foot-6 forward's biggest flaw is scoring consistency; his shot can either be on or off, depending on the day. With more offensive consistency, with his elite defense, Williams would become a potential top-three second option in the Association. He would be guaranteed a spot on an All-NBA team once again.

Another improvement Williams could make is jump shooting, particularly from three-point range.

Williams went from shooting 42.7% on 3.4 three-point attempts a night in 2023-24 to shooting 36.5% on 4.9 attempts a night. This is after spending parts of the season getting used to his new role without former Thunder guard Josh Giddey and his new frame after gaining muscle during the offseason.

Pull-up shooting is definitely a point of emphasis. Williams shot just 30.4% on 1.7 pull-up three attempts per game this season after shooting 42.1% on 1.3 attempts per game the season prior.

Getting anywhere near the shooting numbers of his sophomore season could make Williams an even more dynamic scorer. With just a few improvements, Williams could turn a great year into an excellent one in the quickly approaching season.