Editor’s note: As an annual end-of-season exercise, The Oklahoman publishes a series of report cards on each of the Thunder’s main roster players. Grades will be curved relative to role and expectations. Next up: Jaylin Williams.
For delivering the mic-drop moment of the Thunder’s championship parade, maybe we should just give Jaylin Williams an A+ and move on.
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But behind J-Will the jolly character, a pretty darn good basketball player has emerged.
His 5.9 points per game tied a career high. His 5.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 0.6 blocks per game? All career highs. His 43.9% field goal percentage? Another career high.
Not gaudy numbers, but not bad ones for a third-team center, either. A player who lifts the team with his personality as much as his production.
“I just think he’s a unique guy,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. “He’s a source of energy.”
Presti, in his postseason news conference, told a story about a frigid morning shootaround in Philadelphia.
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“It felt like we were outside,” Presti said. “… Felt like (we were) getting ready for a hockey game and it’s like 10 in the morning. It’s taking a while for the guys to get going.”
Not J-Will, though.
“That guy was yelling everyone’s names out and making jokes and keeping everybody loose and kind of getting the energy redirected so that people weren’t as totally focused on the elements,” Presti said. “He just kept the mood in the right spot.”
The Thunder drafted Williams, now entering Year 4, with the 34th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The 23-year-old from Fort Smith, Arkansas, signed a reported three-year, $24 million contract extension with the Thunder this offseason.
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Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams (6) cheers from the bench during the NBA basketball Game 7 playoff game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Sunday, May, 18, 2025.
Jaylin Williams by the numbers
17.9: Jaylin Williams led all NBA players in net rating in the regular season. The Thunder outscored opponents by 17.9 points per 100 possessions with Williams on the court. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ranked second with a 16.7 net rating. The top-five players in the NBA by net rating were all Thunder players, a byproduct of all of those blowouts.
3.3: The third-year center attempted a career-high 3.3 3-pointers per game. Among Thunder regulars, he ranked third on the team in 3-point percentage (39.9%) behind only Isaiah Joe (41.2%) and Lu Dort (41.2%).
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12: After leading the league as a rookie in charges drawn (43), Williams drew 19 charges as a sophomore and 12 last season. While his charges drawn numbers are down, his blocks have risen from 0.2 per game to 0.4 to a career-high 0.6 last season. Williams is a better athlete now than when he came into the league, and a much improved all-around defender.
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Jaylin Williams offseason homework
Continue to hone that 3-point shot. It’s still a relatively new weapon for Williams, who was a 26% 3-point shooter in his two seasons at Arkansas. But in three seasons with the Thunder? Williams has settled in as a 39% 3-point shooter on 2.5 attempts per game.
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Williams is third on the Thunder’s center depth chart behind Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, but Williams’ threat as a stretch five makes him a valuable bench option for coach Mark Daigneault.
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Jaylin Williams grade: A-
Williams played sparingly against the Timberwolves and Pacers in the conference finals and NBA Finals, but he gave OKC a massive lift in Round 2 against Denver. Though undersized at 6-foot-8, his 250-pound frame came in clutch against the bruising Nikola Jokic.
J-Will’s minutes were matchup dependent in the playoffs, but he more than filled his role as a backup big man in the regular season, providing breathers for Holmgren and Hartenstein. As evidenced by his net rating, there was little to no slippage with Williams on the court. His 3-point shooting also made it palatable for the Thunder to use Williams in double-big lineups.
Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams, left, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams help Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt with his speech at Scissortail Park as the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrate their first NBA Finals title win with a champions parade throughout downtown Oklahoma City on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
Thunder report card schedule
In his championship parade address, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt announced that Thunder chairman Clay Bennett, general manager Sam Presti, coach Mark Daigneault and every Thunder player would be honored with their own official day in Oklahoma City. We’re following Holt’s schedule, publishing each player’s report card on their respective day.
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July 17: Kenrich Williams
July 23: Isaiah Hartenstein
July 30: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Jaylin Williams report card: Backup center had career year for Thunder