The Oklahoma City Thunder fell a few bounces short of topping the league-best Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 8. Cleveland’s relentless attacking the glass secured the win, but on another night, the Thunder could have emerged victorious. If the Thunder want to hang with the NBA’s best, especially in May and June, they’ll need Jalen Williams to continue playing as he did against the Cavs.
Williams mustered one of his best efforts against Cleveland, tallying 25 points, nine assists, five boards and four stocks (steals + blocks) on 62.3 percent true shooting. He tied his season-high in assists and recorded his first game with 25 or more points since mid-December against the Miami Heat. On one of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s least efficient nights of the season (53.9 percent true shooting), Williams stepped up in a big way.
Head coach Mark Daigneault asked Williams to handle more offensive responsibility, contributing to dips in efficiency from last season. As Williams’ usage rate climbed to 28 percent (from 24.2 percent), his true shooting dropped six percent (56 percent). Chet Holmgren’s injury further increased the burden on Williams’ shoulders.
What Worked Well For Williams Against The Cavs?
Throughout the game, six of Williams’ eight missed field goals came from pick-and-roll or isolation chances. All but one of his makes came in transition or off of the ball — he drained a stepback jumper over Jarrett Allen for OKC’s first basket of the game. Cleveland’s digging wings and rangy defenders challenged his looser handle, as two of his three giveaways resulted from dribbling errors.
For the most part, though, he scored as efficiently as he did a year ago while maintaining his upgraded playmaking. No change has been more beneficial for Williams than Isaiah Hartenstein’s addition to the team. Six of Williams’ nine assists went to Hartenstein and three of Hartenstein’s eight dimes went to Williams.
Set defenses expose his current limitations as a primary creator. As he’s added weight, Williams’ ball control and vertical explosion in tight spaces have declined. Moving him off of the ball, especially next to an elite hub like Hartenstein, minimizes those issues.
Hartenstein’s handoffs and pop passes open creases for Williams to attack the rim, shoot jumpers and pass. Williams’ passing synergizes with Hartenstein’s opportune cutting and elite floater touch. When Williams’ drives stall, Hartenstein often makes himself available as an outlet. The Cavs struggled to stop their two-man game from generating high-value looks all night long.
the jdub – hartenstein connection is becoming critical for OKC’s offensive success, especially in non shai lineups. ihart rocks as a screener/cutter off williams, but they can flip roles with hartenstein initiating
jdub and ihart assisted each other 9 times vs CLE pic.twitter.com/ZyXRmmynJL
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) January 11, 2025
In the fourth quarter, Cleveland’s defense toggled to a zone for much of the period. It loaded up on Gilgeous-Alexander, hoping he’d pass the ball to a less dangerous teammate. On multiple occasions, Williams found a cutting Hartenstein while attacking off of the catch, showcasing his snappy processing speed when he doesn’t have to bend a defense all by himself.
cleveland’s fourth quarter zone gave OKC some issues, but jalen williams’ driving off of the catch and hartenstein’s cutting and floaters were key to cracking it
these two at their best with quick movement + decisions pic.twitter.com/jydTa0tgsk
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) January 11, 2025
Especially with Holmgren out of the lineup, the Thunder have struggled to maintain their offensive flow when Gilgeous-Alexander is on the bench. Oklahoma City’s sterling plus-12.9 net rating with Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander sharing the floor this season dips to plus-3.6 when Gilgeous-Alexander sits, according to PBP Stats. Williams simply isn’t equipped to run an elite offense at this stage of his career.
Pairing an elite off-ball scorer like Williams with Hartenstein boosts Oklahoma City’s offense tremendously. The Thunder offense improves by more than 14 points per 100 possessions when Hartenstein joins Williams while Gilgeous-Alexander rests (the data below was accurate before Sunday’s victory over the Washington Wizards).
isaiah hartenstein’s presence elevates jalen williams most in the non shai lineups. the non shai lineups with jdub as the primary option aren’t great, but inserting hartenstein there makes an enormous (+16) difference pic.twitter.com/iUdtJiagM3
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) January 11, 2025
Williams had a strong defensive outing as always, walling up on the interior and switching out to guard the perimeter. Cleveland overtaxed him as a ground coverage helper at times, but that shouldn’t be much of a worry when Holmgren returns. Questions about Oklahoma City’s title hopes will center around its offense. The Cavs found the formula to beat that defense, but most teams can’t replicate it.
Even superhero engines like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander need capable sidekicks to win championships. Williams’ ability to take that on could determine whether the Thunder can win a title this season. They should lean on these offensive performances from Williams and Hartenstein against the NBA’s elite to best prepare them for high-level playoff success.
