Jan. 24, 2026, 3:00 p.m. CT
Catching the ball at the perimeter, Kenrich Williams drove right at Pascal Siakam. He pulled up with a fadeaway mid-range jumper that rattled in. In the final seconds of the first half, the 31-year-old provided a much-needed bucket in a game where the Thunder were still in.
The Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t survive their recent uptick of injuries in their 117-114 loss to the Indiana Pacers. We learned that you can’t win a game when only three NBA players have positive contributions. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 47 points went in vain.
Williams finished with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists. He shot 0-of-2 from 3 and went 2-of-3 on free throws. He also had a steal and a block.
I know I previously said that nobody besides OKC’s best two players did enough to get a win, but let me retract that a little. Williams was once again awesome. At least as a scorer. He was able to flex some of his one-on-one skills with several mid-range buckets. They desperately needed that offensive juice.
“Just mainly getting stops. Having to take the ball out of the basket rather than rebounding and getting out in transition on the break,” Williams said. “Mainly on the defensive end, getting stops.”
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The Thunder have dealt with injuries all season. But it feels like we’ve hit rock bottom in that year-long battle in this recent stretch. Now, it’s cost OKC a game. That said, though, Williams has shown he can seamlessly step up when asked to. It’s the type of depth you spend years creating.
Hopefully, this stretch has garnered Williams more rotation minutes once the Thunder get closer to full health. That has been one of OKC’s biggest mysteries since they ascended to an NBA champion. How they can’t seem to carve out a role for the veteran when he’s always added positive minutes.
“It’s tough because we’re missing a lot of our main guys. But you just gotta have that ‘Next Man Up’ mentality. Speaking for myself and the guys who are playing extra, you just gotta take advantage of the opportunity,” Williams said. “So far, for the most part, we’ve been doing that. We played pretty well tonight. We gave up some baskets in the first quarter. Dug ourselves a hole. For the most part, I feel like the guys who’ve been called have been able to play.”
Even though Gilgeous-Alexander’s masterpiece will go underappreciated because of the final results, Williams believes that adds to the theme of his career. Together for six seasons now, he’s had a front-row view of his ascension from nice prospect to a reigning MVP.
“He’s playing at an MVP level once again. I truly don’t think people will appreciate him until he’s done playing,” Williams said. “What he’s doing right now, how efficient he is, the way he’s leading our team. I think the whole world doesn’t appreciate him as much as they should…
“What he’s doing right now is unreal. How efficient he is from the guard spot, his availability every night, playing big minutes, showing up each and every game no matter who we play.”