Jalen Williams landed at No. 8 on FanSided's 25-under-25 NBA Player Rankings this season, ranking the best young players in the NBA. Check out the rest of the list here.
How can a 24-year-old top an NBA championship, All-NBA, All-Star, and All-Defense season? The simple answer is to do it again.
Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams is set to take another step after an accolade-heavy season last year. The world knew he was good after a stellar 2024 year, but Jdub made strides all over the floor last year and looks to carry that momentum into the Thunder's back-to-back championship pursuit.
There was virtually one flaw in Jdub's game last year, and even that wasn't fully exposed due to the versatility he has at his disposal.
With his massive 7-foot-2 wingspan and his history in the NBA, there's no doubt he can fix this small wart in his game. The positives in his game would make any general manager jump to the moon, considering Jdubs' age.
The Thunder locked him up for the long haul with a five-year, $287 million maximum rookie contract extension in the offseason. They know they have something special in their second option.
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Jalen Williams' versatility makes him a one of one
The fact that Jdub is a second option speaks to the greatness of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jdub is a 20-point guy with one through five capabilities on the defensive end. Every team would sign up for that type of production to lead their squad, but he's the most elite Robin thanks to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The term "one through five" has been thrown around so much that it's lost its value. Not only is Jdub firmly in that group without hyperbole, but he may be one of the few wings who is better at guarding bigs and the rim.
JDub is firmly in the discussion for most versatile defender in the league pic.twitter.com/PJli0TLrBa
— Brennan Sims (@SmokeSolezNBA) October 17, 2025
Jdub was the Thunder's starting center from November 11th, 2024, to November 19th, 2024, due to the Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein injuries. During this brief five-game stretch, Jdub manned the paint at 6-foot-5 and anchored OKC to a 108 defensive rating. That would've been the number one defense if it were over the full season.
With lightning reaction time and a pterodactyl wingspan, Jdub can blow up plays before they happen. Playing next to outstanding perimeter defenders like Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, and Lu Dortz makes zipping around easier for Jdub.
It's not usual for someone of his size to be so comfortable challenging shots at the rim. According to PBP stats, opponents only shot 55 percent with Jdub being the nearest player at the rim. Though he defended many more shots at the rim, opponents shot 57 percent on the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year, Evan Mobley. We see how elite Jdub is as a small guard defending the rim.
Jdub is just as stellar on the ball. His brute defensive activity knocks players off their driving paths. He's an elite physical defender without fouling. His 2.8 foul percentage is on the positive side for forwards. There's not much Jdub can't do on defense; that second-team All-Defense selection last year was extremely warranted.
Offensively, he still has room to grow, and that's saying a lot about a player who had a 40-point game in the NBA Finals.
Per Cleaning The Glass, here's how Jdub has faired at the rim over his three-year career so far:
- 2023: 70 percent on 344 attempts at the rim
- 2024: 70 percent on 307 attempts
- 2025: 67 percent on 291 attempts
A three percentage point drop isn't massive, but Jdub went on to shoot 64 percent at the rim in the playoffs, a number meh enough for the 39th percentile amongst forwards. History shows Jdub can return to his dominant ways at the cup. His 2-point percentage overall was down last year, but he's still creating for himself at an All-NBA rate.
Being able to take opponents off the dribble is a much-needed skill set when playing off a creator like SGA. Spot-up shooting is critical playing next to SGA, but so is what Jdub provides as a secondary ball handler.
A little less than half of Jdub's field goals were assisted, which puts him in the 95th percentile among forwards. Jayson Tatum created 39 percent of his made field goals for himself, which was the best mark among forwards. These guys can get a bucket in any scenario.
Jdub excels at taking defenders off the bounce when they close out on his pump fakes. He's a rescpetcale three-point shooter, so teams must overcommit at times. Jdub is a plus decision maker and attacks with purpose. Kickouts, rim finishes, lobs to bigs, or hitting cutters are all in Jdubs' repertoire when attacking closeouts.
The ball doesn't stop when Jdub gets it. His teammates never worry that they'll never get the ball back because the second option solely focuses on shot attempts. That team-first mentality Jdub has is key because certain second options focus on putting the ball through the net on offense, and that's it.
The Thunder have a second option who can erupt for 40 points on any night, but he also takes difficult matchups defensively and always has his head up, looking to make a play for others.
At only 24 years old, Jalen Williams is already an NBA champion and has a case for the best second option in the NBA. The sky is the limit for the 2026 NBA season when he finishes at the cup like he has in the past.