March 31, 2026, 5:00 p.m. CT
Considering how the Oklahoma City Thunder have sat atop the NBA standings all season, expect them to be heavily featured again in this year’s batch of award races. Of course, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander headlines things by being a probable back-to-back MVP winner.
Now, the Thunder have another surprising nominee for an NBA award that goes under the radar. The league announced on Tuesday that Jaylin Williams was a finalist for the 2025-26 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award.
The annual honor recognizes the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on-court and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players. And commitment and dedication to the team. There were 12 nominees, with six in each conference.
The other 11 names were Jayson Tatum, Jalen Brunson, De’Aaron Fox, Desmond Bane, Jrue Holiday, Marcus Smart, Duncan Robinson, Pat Connaughton, Jeff Green, DeAndre Jordan and Garrett Temple.
It shouldn’t be a shocker to see Williams among the group. He’s enjoying a career season of 7.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists. It’s his best year yet as he’s established himself in OKC’s rotation. Personality-wise, he perfectly fits into this group’s vibes.
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Good to see Williams get some recognition for that from a national level. He’s low-key been one of OKC’s best development stories ever. He’s turned into a real weapon for them who can seamlessly scale up and down to whatever the Thunder need from him on a night-to-night basis.