The Thunder’s star wing is getting back to his old self.
The Oklahoma City Thunder took on the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night in the team’s home opener. It would be the Thunder pleasing their own fans in this bout, as they would take home the win, 96-84. This win wasn’t an easy one, as OKC had to battle back from getting dominated in the first half, but it brought out the best in one of the Thunder’s star players.
OKC has been anticipating the return of Jalen Williams, as the Thunder star was out for most of last season with multiple injuries. It was a question of whether Williams could stay healthy this year and if he could get back to his level of play from two seasons ago. While he hasn’t shown superstar talent quite yet, Williams is proving that he can definitely still deliver when he is called upon.
The reason that the Thunder were in a slump to start Thursday’s game was because of their poor shooting performance. Even star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a bad shooting night, not making a single shot in the first half. This is where Williams came to the rescue.
Williams was the team’s leading scorer, as he had 21 points on 46.7% shooting. This scoring performance was imperative to the Thunder, as without it, Denver would have run away with the game to the point where OKC couldn’t come back. Not only did he have a great scoring performance, but he also ended the game with five rebounds and three assists.
This performance mirrors William’s 2024-25 season, in which he was named to the All-NBA Third Team. This year he averaged 21.6 points per game, 5.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists. A season at this level was good enough to help the Thunder win their first-ever championship, and it could be good enough to do it again.
While this one performance is a good sign for Williams’ season, the wing will have to keep proving it game after game. With a smaller core rotation this season, Williams will have to step up his game if the Thunder are going to succeed, and this past Thursday proved that he can be at the helm when he needs to be.
Williams won’t be expected to be the main star in every Thunder bout, but he needs to continue to play whatever part OKC needs for him in the moment.
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