Jalen Williams has been more productive on the offensive end during the Thunder’s playoff run this season compared to last.
The Thunder grabbed a commanding 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals with a win over the Timberwolves in Minnesota in Game 4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed why he was recently crowned MVP, finishing with 40 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists over 40 minutes. His main running mate in the game was Jalen Williams, who posted 34 points, three rebounds, five assists, three steals and six 3-pointers over 39 minutes.
2024-25 regular-season play
Williams is coming off the best season of his career, averaging 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.8 3-pointers per game. His efficiency was down a bit compared to his first two seasons in the league, but he didn’t exactly struggle by shooting 48.4% from the field and 78.9% from the free-throw line. Williams also played in 69 games. He has appeared in at least that many games in each of his first three seasons in the league.
While Gilgeous-Alexander is the undisputed leader of the Thunder, Williams has continued to see his role increase. After posting an 18.4% usage rate during his rookie campaign, he had a 23.7% usage rate in 2023-24. This season, his usage rate increased to 27.5%. He also averaged 4.9 3-point attempts per game, which was up from 3.4 attempts per game last season. That likely dealt a blow to his overall efficiency, but he helped balanced it out with his increased 3-pointers made.
With the Thunder blowing so many teams out, Williams only averaged 32 minutes per game during the regular season. During the playoffs, he has averaged 35 minutes per game. However, that increase in playing time hasn’t resulted in a dramatic increase in production. Over 15 playoff games, he has averaged 20.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.7 3-pointers. Facing better defenses, he has shot 45.5% from the field and 32.1% from behind the arc.
2024 playoffs vs. 2025 playoffs
The good news with Williams is that he has been more productive on the offensive end during the Thunder’s playoff run this season compared to last season. Despite averaging 38 minutes over 10 playoff games last year, Williams averaged a modest 18.7 points. He already has two playoff games with at least 30 points this season. Last season, he didn’t top 24 points in any playoff game.
The crazy thing about Williams is that he has already had a ton of success despite being so young. He just turned 24 years old in April, so he hasn’t even reached the prime of his career.
2025-26 fantasy outlook
Williams had an average draft position of 33 this season in fantasy basketball and came through for managers as a reliable option who was well worth the selection. He can stuff the stat sheet in multiple areas, evident by the fact that he has averaged at least 19.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 3-pointers in both of the last two seasons. He is also an efficient scorer, further enhancing his value in category leagues. The Thunder still have a bevy of draft picks that they can use to either add more young depth to their roster, or package together to make a big splash in the trade market. Whichever path they take, expect them to continue to build around Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams, meaning that Williams will likely be worth another early selection in fantasy drafts next season.
