The Oklahoma City Thunder will enter the 2025-26 regular season as the reigning NBA champions. Fresh off one of the greatest years ever, it’ll be quite the feat to follow up on what they accomplished. They had a historic 68-14 record and brought home the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Celebrating their NBA championship, the Thunder made quick work of their offseason tasks. They signed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to contract extensions. That should keep OKC in the title picture for the foreseeable future.

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To prepare for the 2025-26 regular season, Thunder Wire will break down all five positional groups. Here’s what they have to look forward to from their small forward position:

Starter: Jalen Williams

The Thunder wouldn’t have won an NBA championship without Williams’ ascension. He had a breakout season as a first-time All-Star, All-NBA and All-Defense Team player. He added to his mythos when he played through the playoffs with an injured wrist. He dropped 40 points in an NBA Finals win on it. Because of that, he’s universally seen as one of the best players. Nobody laughs at the Gen Z Scottie Pippen comparisons.

Now, it’s about repeating that success. The Thunder will rely on Williams to be their second-best player again. He’s the only other efficient 20-point scorer on the roster. This upcoming year could decide whether he’ll be an All-Star and All-NBA candidate a handful of times or always be in the conversation. The scary part is that the 24-year-old can still grow as a player.

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Depth behind Williams

There are some decent pieces behind Williams. The most notable is Aaron Wiggins. He was somebody who also enjoyed a career season as a double-digit scorer. You could make the argument that he has the most self-creation juice from everybody off the bench. He can slice through defenses and was one of their better outside shooters on decent volume.

The other players are Kenrich Williams and Ousmane Dieng. Williams has been in OKC for a while and is a good locker room presence. He could help you through the regular-season marathon as somebody who can space the floor and defend. Meanwhile, Dieng’s time in OKC will likely end sooner rather than later. The project piece never carved out a role. It’s difficult to see that suddenly happen now.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: 2025-26 OKC Thunder positional preview: Jalen Williams, small forwards