In this new series, Thunder Wire assigns three goals to each of the 21 players, per Spotrac, that make up the Oklahoma City Thunder roster.
The Thunder’s season kicks off on Oct. 25 against the Chicago Bulls. After a surprising 40-42 campaign that ended a win shy of the playoffs, OKC enters this year with playoff aspirations.
Buy Thunder TicketsLet’s assign three goals for Jalen Williams — who finished No. 2 in Rookie of the Year voting last season. The 22-year-old will look to build upon a strong rookie campaign. He was arguably OKC’s second-best player by the end of last season.
In 75 games, Williams averaged 14.1 points on 52.1% shooting, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
Be more selfish
Williams was phenomenal during his rookie season. After starting the year off the bench, he ended his campaign by being arguably OKC’s second-best player.
A huge reason for that can be attributed to his efficient scoring numbers and willingness to play within the flow of the offense. But to take that next leap, it’ll require some selfishness by Williams to shoot a higher volume of shots.
Last season, he only averaged 10.6 attempts and just 2.7 3-pointers. The 10.4 attempts were fourth on the team — a number hard to justify for the talented wing.
As Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault alluded to during several points last season, if Williams can increase his volume, then that’s likely for the betterment of the team — even if it means sacrificing some of his efficiency.
Establish himself in the pecking order
A quick review of the Thunder roster shows that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the undisputed best player. After that though, it’s a bit murky for the following three spots.
It really depends on your preferred flavor, strong arguments could be made for Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren and Williams as to what order those three go between the 2-4 spots.
Of the three, Williams looks the more promising of being a win-now contributor.
The 22-year-old is already a high-end starting wing and considering his age and frame, he can likely graduate to borderline All-Star this upcoming season if everything goes well.
Draw more shooting fouls
If Williams is going to take more shots and sink his shooting efficiency, then a great way to make up for that is by drawing more shooting fouls.
Last season, he only averaged 2.5 free-throw attempts as a rookie. He shot 81.2% from the line, which means he has the makings of a great free-throw shooter.
If he can increase the amount he takes — which should be reasonably achievable considering how often he goes in the paint — then that could unlock a new level of scoring for him.
