Jalen Williams joins Durant, Westbrook in Thunder history after career night
Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Jalen Williams produced a career night on Sunday and joined Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in a bit of team history in the process.
Williams recorded 32 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocked shots in a 129-119 win over the Utah Jazz. He finished by shooting 12-of-15 from the field, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range, in 34 minutes of work.
The 12th pick joined Durant and Westbrook as the only rookies in team history to record at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists in a game. He is one of eight rookies to score 30 points in a game this season.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault liked how he stayed aggressive.
He was on the gas. He always reverts to playing the right way so when he is on the gas and a teammate is open, he is spraying the ball. I think the aggressiveness has really got him forceful and when you’re playing with that kind of force and speed at that size, it is hard to handle. He just competes every night.
If "follow your shot" were a person 👀 pic.twitter.com/89nziglmtK
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 6, 2023
Williams has now scored at least 20 points in four straight games for the first time this season. He is playing perhaps as well as he has all season and is contributing at a high level on both ends of the court to help the Thunder stay alive in the play-in race.
Behind his recent run, Williams is now leading all first-year players in scoring in the Western Conference, topping the likes of Sacramento’s Keegan Murray and Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr.
He attributes his recent play to becoming more comfortable on the court.
I think we’re also moving the ball really well throughout the entire year. I know where I’m going to be at on the floor. I know kinda what the rotation is going to look like. I just attribute it to being more comfortable, working on my game and figuring out a routine.
The 21-year-old is emerging as a franchise cornerstone this season. The team was ecstatic to add him through the draft and believes he has a bright future ahead. He is showcasing what he can do on a nightly basis and that has resulted in some tremendous outings.
