Looking back at the last handful of NBA drafts, Jalen Williams has a strong case to be the best player who outperformed their slot. The 2022 No. 12 pick has quickly skyrocketed past most of the league and is now viewed as one of the best players.
While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gets all the shine, the Oklahoma City Thunder don’t win an NBA championship without Williams. He was the certified second-best player on one of the greatest teams ever. The 24-year-old fought through a wrist injury and had several career moments in their playoff run.
Considering Williams has turned into an All-NBA talent in his third season, there’s a strong argument to be made that he is Sam Presti’s biggest draft hit. That makes looking back at his predraft process even funnier.
Williams was a late riser in the predraft process. Going to Santa Clara for three college seasons, most viewed him as a second-round draft pick. A strong NBA draft combine shot him up most boards to the lottery range. But even then, being a late lottery pick meant the Thunder hoped he could be a decent starter.
That was quickly crossed off the bucket list. Then Williams kept getting better. Reading most of his predraft stock, he reflected on that journey on the “Out The Mud” podcast with Zach Randolph and Tony Allen. He remembered the range of player comparisons he received at the time.
“My ceiling was Harden and then they were saying I played like Joe Ingles,” Williams said. “That was the two when I was coming out of college.”
That’s quite the range of outcomes. Either you’re a solid role player or one of the greatest scorers ever. Considering how it’s played out over the last three seasons, it’s a little lucrative — and true — to say he’s closer to the best possible result of that scale.
Williams said his NBA agent gifted him an Ingles trading card when he was taken with the No. 12 pick. He laughed at the joke when he recalled it. Now, three years later, he’s an NBA champion and just signed a hefty contract extension as he ascends into one of the best players.
Goes to show how volatile the predraft process is. Nobody truly knows how a prospect will develop in the NBA. The Thunder wouldn’t have accelerated from rebuild to champions in three years without receiving some luck from how unconventional Williams’ route to All-Star stardom was.