Not being overwhelmed by the moment, Jalen Williams reflected on the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s NBA championship. The national spotlight might’ve brought over a circus of attention from fans and media, but the 24-year-old said they stuck to their bread and butter on the court.

The Thunder had one of the greatest seasons ever. They went a historic 68-14 in the regular season with the best point differential the NBA has seen of plus-12.9. That meant, more often than not, they blew teams out left and right with comfortable double-digit point wins.

The Thunder’s regular-season dominance was impressive in itself, but that didn’t guarantee playoff success. We saw that unfold as they went the full distance in two of their four matchups against teams most thought had little chance against OKC.

One was against the Indiana Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton almost pulled off one of the greatest upsets ever. Alas, the hot East squad fell just short of their first title when the Thunder won a decisive Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Williams said that despite several moments of despair, they stuck to their guns.

Williams recently appeared on the “Out The Mud” podcast with Zach Randolph and Tony Allen to talk about it. He talked about the Thunder’s NBA Finals game plan and how it was the same X’s and O’s from how they played all season. After all, they always say not to fix something that’s not broken.

“Mark said it all year. The stuff we do in training camp and we’re playing in January and nobody is watching the games and we’re ready to be done, and that rookie wall or whatever,” Williams said. “Those are the most important games because you build habits.”

The Thunder stuck to their brand of basketball. While the offense was inconsistent with faulty outside shooting, the defense remained lockdown throughout their entire championship quest. That was the side of the ball they leaned on to bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Williams helped by being one of the best versatile defenders in the league. He could guard all five positions. He was recognized for it with a first-time All-Defense Team nod. The 24-year-old also battled through a wrist injury and was the Thunder’s second-best scorer.

“We didn’t have any new concepts going into the Pacers series. That’s not because it was the Pacers. We live and die on what we’re doing. That’s why we’re successful,” Williams said. “If we can impose that, we’ll win. That’s what kinda what happened.”

The Thunder wouldn’t have won an NBA championship without Williams. Questioned on whether he was a good enough second scoring option for a title contender, he shushed the doubters. One ring later, he’s widely viewed as one of the league’s best players, with Gen Z Scottie Pippen comparisons no longer being viewed as a controversial opinion.

Jalen Williams on their NBA Finals game plan:

“Mark said it all year. The stuff we do in training camp and we’re playing in January and nobody is watching the games and we’re ready to be done… Those are the most important games because you build habits.”

(via @OutTheMudTL) pic.twitter.com/xZDNUkOSwm

— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) August 28, 2025