The OKC Thunder Are In Need Of Their Reliable Second Option Next Season

The Thunder need Jalen Williams back and better than ever next year.

May 18, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) dunks in the first quarter against the San Antonio Spurs during game one of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

The Thunder will need its star wing to be a reliable scoring option all season. 

After an incredible 2024-25 season, Jalen Williams was set to solidify himself as not only one of the best second options in the league, but one of the best players altogether. He averaged 21.6 points per game and made the All-NBA Third Team, not to mention being a main factor in the Thunder securing its first championship as a franchise. 

Williams would undergo surgery this past summer, but would hope to be back ready to go for the 2025-26 season. However, things would not go according to plan for the wing, and this would begin an unfortunate season for one of OKC’s star players. 

Between his original wrist injury and the multiple hamstring injuries he sustained throughout the year, Williams would only play in 33 regular-season games and would only play five more games in the playoffs. This would be a tough blow for the Thunder, as they lost their second-best scorer, and it would ultimately lead to a conference finals exit. 

Now, as Williams is once again using this offseason to get healthy, he must be ready to be a consistent second option once again for the Thunder. Chet Holmgren did his best trying to step into the No. 2 role for OKC, as he averaged 17.1 points per game in the regular season. However, when it truly mattered in the conference playoffs, he was nowhere to be found.

It isn’t all his fault, as it was just his third year in the NBA, but OKC needed the clutchness of Williams, who averaged 23.6 points per game in last year’s finals, including a 40-point showing in Game 5.  

OKC dealt with the issue of teams keying in on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during the postseason, which forced other members of the Thunder to score. While Oklahoma City has the talent to do so, with Gilgeous-Alexander being limited and no Williams to help carry the load, it would eventually catch up to them. 

So, the Thunder need Williams to be a shoulder to lean on once again, and preferably a shoulder that has continued to improve. Williams definitely has the talent to be the first option on a lot of other NBA teams, and can even be the first option some nights for OKC. This dominant play will need to be displayed once again next season, and if Williams can do so, a one-two punch of Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams could once again bring a title to Oklahoma City.