Oklahoma City’s 12th overall pick in 2022, Jalen Williams, marks one of the best draft picks of the decade. Not many expected that result, myself included. The Thunder altered the course of their franchise with that draft, adding core pieces in Williams and second-overall pick Chet Holmgren.

We shouldn’t limit our view of Williams to a third banana next to Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Santa Clara product has positioned himself to develop into a needle-moving superstar in his own right after a stellar sophomore season. Williams averaged 19.1 points, 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game on a scorching 62.1% true shooting as the second option on the West’s top seed.

That’s a notable accomplishment for any 23-year-old player, but a deep dive into the tape reveals the winding layers of Williams’s game. Williams flashed star-caliber on-ball skills, often functioning as OKC’s fourth-quarter closer. He’s already a dynamic creator out of isolations and pick-and-rolls, relying primarily on his elite shotmaking.

Jalen Williams Scouting Report

A throwback mid-range ace, Jalen Williams drained a stellar 49.1% of his mid-range shots this season on high volume (6.2 attempts per 75 possessions) and degree of difficulty. Williams contorts his body and creates angles like a seasoned veteran. His elite strength, advanced handle and pacing with a ball screen let him slither and snake to whichever spot he chooses to shoot.

He’s a sharpshooter from deep as well, canning 42.7% of his threes this past season. Only six qualifying rotation players (Grayson Allen, Mike Conley, Norman Powell, Bradley Beal, CJ McCollum, Jrue Holiday) shot more efficiently from three than Williams last season. Williams must increase his volume to reach the upper echelon, but his versatility as a pull-up and off-catch threat is encouraging for that development.

As a driver, Jalen Williams wins with a great burst, strength and handling dexterity for a wing. He’s not a special downhill rim pressure threat, but Williams attacks the hoop as well as most young wings. Williams shot a strong 66.9% at the rim last year on plenty of self-created looks. He’s strong enough to dislodge many defenders with the craft, footwork and touch to work around the ones that can’t outright bully.

Williams already passes like one of the NBA’s best wings to compound with his scoring. Williams spent 35.6% of his possessions last season as a pick-and-roll ballhandler, which reflects OKC’s trust. Williams makes smart, thoughtful decisions (2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio) while creating higher-level passes off of his own scoring chances. Williams reads out pick-and-rolls patiently, finding lob passes to his bigs and skips out to shooters.

Apart from his on-bal goodness, Jalen Williams’s scalability makes him a snug fit for the Thunder and fuels true superstar upside. Williams spent much of his college career and first NBA season playing without the ball. He’s more than comfortable shooting off the catch, cutting, rebounding, and attacking closeouts.

Many star creators struggle to add value without the ball, making it difficult to pair them with other elite offensive talents and limiting roster-building options. That’s not the case with Williams, who can effortlessly toggle between primary initiating and low-usage offense next to Gilgeous-Alexander or whoever else has the ball on a given night.

Williams’s defense only magnifies his offensive stardom, as Williams is already one of the better defenders in the NBA with the potential to keep growing. He’s already one of the NBA’s premier off-ball defenders with the versatility to play multiple positions.

As a weak-side defender, Williams has the size and length to rotate down and block shots as a low man. He’ll dig at the nail as a one-pass-away defender to force pickups and create turnovers. Similar to his cerebral offensive nature, Williams rarely makes critical defensive errors.

Jalen Williams isn’t a perfect defender by any means. His burlier nature inherently leads to some struggles against quick, small guards. When handlers make Williams bite in a direction, his hips don’t always move quickly enough to recover. It’s looking like Williams added even more heft in the offseason, possibly compounding some of these issues.

His sheer mass and condor-ish 7’2 wingspan let him function as an elite on-ball defender against wings and forwards, more than compensating for his struggles against guards. On an OKC Thunder team stacked with elite guard defenders, Williams spends much of his time pestering bigger handlers with his stalwart strength, length, footwork and smarts.

Jalen Williams’ playoff struggles shouldn’t be that much of a concern

It’s worth noting some of Jalen Williams’s playoff struggles compared to his monster regular season. His efficiency plummeted with Dallas’s excellent defense as the main culprit, posting a significantly below-average 54.4% true shooting percentage.

The Mavs gapped hard to cut off Williams’s drives and showed multiple defenders, which the young forward struggled to discern at times. As a result, Williams’s efficiency at the hoop and in the mid-range suffered as Williams struggled to generate clean looks for himself on the ball.

Even during Williams’ playoff growing pains, he still spaced the floor effectively, passed the ball and defended at a high level. That’s encouraging and reflects Williams’s maturity and ability to play without the ball in his hands for long periods. Facing a high-level playoff defense in his second season should only help Williams adapt and progress as a true on-ball creator.

Josh Giddey’s departure bodes well for Jalen Williams

Williams’s on-ball initiation opportunities should increase in year three. Somebody has to soak up the 22.5% usage rate Josh Giddey left behind, and Williams is the likeliest candidate. It’s always worth questioning if young players can maintain their excellent efficiency with more responsibility. He’s done nothing but improve every facet of his game over the last few seasons. The idea of Williams as a full-fledged star creator feels real.

On a loaded Oklahoma City roster, Jalen Williams still might not earn the recognition he deserves in terms of All-Star and All-NBA accolades. Last season, Williams played like a fringe All-Star on the back of his two-way goodness. Don’t be shocked if Williams leaps to household-name-level stardom in year three for a Thunder team that hopes to push for a title.