Jalen Williams on the team’s mentality & his teammates | Post Game Media | November 30, 2025

a game as as muddy as that one was with a lot of free throws and just felt kind of clunky on both ends. Just what did it take ultimately to get control of the game? I’m playing I’m playing you good, bro. You can open it up. I’m just joking. Um I would have loved to not have fouled as much just throughout the game as a team. Um but it’s good to have games like that. Those are what prepare you for later on in the season. So, when you can find a way to win even through ugly games, it’s a sign of a pretty good team. Um, obviously this being my second game back, these are good games to have, too. Um, I’d rather have him like this where the game isn’t perfect so I can like really get into a flow and figure it out. So, um, it’s been good. Obviously, we got to keep him off the line, especially um, AI. I think he had like had like 100 free throws today. So, we got to figure that out. But again, just figuring out different ways to win I think was impressive tonight. for you defensively. I I know you mentioned that that’s an area that you can always bring every single night. Just how much pride are you taking on that end as you try to work your way back into a rhythm? Uh not any more than I already have. I think it’s just more about um my effort, like trying to give even more effort. But as far as pride goes, I always I always have that chip on my shoulder defensively. I think I’m one of the best defenders in the NBA just being able to do a lot. So, um pride-wise, it doesn’t go away. I think it just gives me into more of a flow of like until I get back to like normal offensive stuff. So, defense is also very fun for me. Like I I like playing defense. So, offensively, there’s still these system skills that you have from your rookie year that you’ve kept so sharp. How how big is the cutting, the running the floor, you know, these things just to to get you easy stuff as you’re, you know, getting back into the flow? Yeah, I’ll make tougher shots as time goes on. Um, obviously I’m still like figuring out on my wrist and just a bunch of stuff that I I don’t really want to speak on too much, but like as far as that goes, that’ll come. Um, but those are like easy points. And it’s not even that it’s points. It’s like system fundamentals that get other guys points to give space for Shay and AJ who’s been playing great and obviously Wigs coming back. Like, it just gives space for everybody when you’re able to run the lane correctly and cut and it just does a lot for our offense. And so if I’m able to do it, I feel like it gives everybody else leeway to do it. And um yeah, you end up running into some easy points, too. I remember talking to Shay years ago about there being times that when teams were throwing hard doubles at you guys, it was like, “All right, what do we do?” And now, I mean, is it completely second nature now? Cuz you end up, I think, six guys in double figures and it just seemed to you guys played off each other that way. Yeah, I think some of that is obviously game plan. Some of it is also like we’ve been playing with each other now for oh this is year four. So we’ve been playing with each other for four years. We kind of know when the doubles are coming. We know what to do. We’ve been able to game plan for it. So I wouldn’t say it’s second nature. It’s not not perfect but we just kind of understand what’s expected and we trust each other a lot more. So it starts with him him being willing to get get off the ball and let us kind of create and there’s trust that over time he’s gotten more and more from us and obviously we trust him to do his thing. So it’s kind of like we’re playing off of each other. Isaiah had three made triples in like the first three minutes that he was in the game. Can you speak to just his ability to to move so well without the basketball and find those open spots and just how valuable is it to have a guy like that on the team? Um, honestly, I think that’s like not even the most underrated part of that whole thing. I think it’s more like coming into the game not knowing when you’re going to come in, you have no prior shots and your first three is like I gotta run, get my feet and shoot a corner three with like four seconds left and be expected to make it is like a very elite skill and it’s not a skill that a lot of NBA players have. And so for him to be on our team and have that is really special. Um, and honestly, you probably like take it for granted cuz when he misses it’s kind of like weird and you kind of got to catch yourself and like I think me not playing was something that I really started to understand. And I’m like, his job is extremely hard to like come in and like be expected to make shots right away. And um but you know, that’s why he gets paid and he does it at very high clips. So I think that’s like the most impressive thing. Obviously him hunting shots is hard, but just being able to come in whenever is needed and hit big shots is a big deal and uh something that we take for granted, but we also really appreciate. I asked coach this um pregame about challenging you guys. How has he challenged you guys this season um to continue to get better? He said you guys kind of self challenge yourself. You guys monitor that yourself that process yourself. Talk to me about that selfmonitoring process if you would. And then obviously it’s uh your second game back, but the mentality it takes to now be the hunted versus the hunter. Talk about that mentality as well if you would. Um I’ll work backwards. Um, it’s we don’t have a mentality of hunter hunted. We are the hunters at all times. So I don’t and that’s not even trying to be like arrogant. That’s not how we see it or feel it. Like we’re trying to be on the offensive every night and that’s the challenge. So every night when we’re going in there to challenge, it’s like how do we take team’s best punch and then also throw ours. And um I think that’s what makes us good throughout the year and that’ll make us better for when we start. you know, obviously we want to get to an end goal, but these these are the games that that help us kind of sharpen that tool. And um that’s the mentality we have every day. It’s like, how can we get better this game? So, whatever the game plan is, how can we do the game plan as perfect as we can or with as much effort as we can? How can we get better on offense? If we scored 100 points last game, why didn’t we? And let’s try and focus on that and see where that gets us this game. And not looking too far ahead is another big one. Um and we just go from there. I mean, obviously we’re going to have ups and downs throughout the season, but it’s like how how consistent can we be at trying to be perfectionists? You had Wiggins returned tonight. You were the last game K Rich before that. Just, you know, as one one of those guys who’s dealt with extended your injuries. How nice was it to see those guys back in the line? Um, it’s great. Um, that’s all I got. Dang, I was going to say something else. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it it’s good um to just have them back. Obviously, we were doing like high um which was new for me. I’ve never done that before. So, doing that for five months was was um fun. But anytime you do rehab with your teammates, so to see them back on the court and we’re all like simultaneously coming back is really cool. It’s like we’re adding different layers of the team back. Um yeah, it it’s really weird cuz it doesn’t ever feel like we’re missing people when they come back. The way like we’re able to like flow into doing our roles and doing what we do. So, it’s kind of like when Wigs is out there, whoever’s coming back, it’s you almost like forget in a sense that they weren’t there because of how how easy they are to flow in and how like unselfish everybody is when we play. Shay’s had 93 straight 23 20 point performances, the second longest streak in NBA history. Um, can you kind of just speak to his consistency? You know, whether it’s different of guys that he’s facing, whether he’s feeling sick the other day, it just seems like he’s always able to to produce for you guys. It’s a very impressive streak. Um, of 20, you said? Yeah, 21 before start. Dang, bro. When did that start? Last last year. Yeah. Jeez. Um, I don’t know. That’s that’s pretty insane. Um, I think seeing him work out in the summer, seeing him work tirelessly on his body and um his craft, it’s not so much of a shock to me to hear that stat. It’s more just like he works hard enough and he outworks a lot of the competition to where it’s like almost a little bit expected. It kind of goes back to the Isaiah Joe thing I was saying was like we probably take that for granted and then when you say a stat like that it kind of puts it back into perspective but just how hard he works and trying to perfect his craft like it also doesn’t shock me. You had three blocks tonight. Bunch of I should have had four more. Uh, from what I could tell, it seemed like the play you’re most excited about though was uh knocking the ball off somebody’s leg out of bounds. I mean, it does anybody get more excited than you about about those kind of plays? Um, I mean, Queso was probably pretty happy cuz we’ve been having a little steals competition since I got back. So, I don’t think those count as steals, but um I don’t know. Like I said, I just like playing defense. Our team is really fun. Like, we’re a weird team. Like, we’re competing on like blocks and steals, not even points, you know what I mean? So like um that just makes it more fun. It um goes back to the question earlier of just like how can you win each game? Like that’s what we’re doing. Like we’re trying to find different things to compete about and take pride in that. But um yeah, it’s fun. Like as I’m still rusty like defense gets even more fun. So, and ready.

Hear from Jalen Williams after the Thunder’s win over the Trail Blazers.

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