Jalen Williams is entering his third season in the NBA, and according to an ESPN insider, he has taken a hard look at himself and how he can improve. Last season, Williams was seen as the Thunder’s second-best player, averaging 19.1 points, 4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.
According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Williams’ offseason has been a fun ride. Speaking on his recent Hoop Collective, Windhorst revealed how Williams prepared for the new season. He said,
“I was at media day, he talked about his process in the offseason where he really wanted to take a critical eye of himself, he did, he wanted to see where he really struggled. He went through these elongated film sessions that he said he basically ordered up his low lights. He wanted to see his worst moments and he said it was hard, said it’s not fun to see your worst moments, but he felt it was important to him.”
Jalen Williams Uses Low Points to Prepare for New Season
Last season, the Thunder won 57 games and finished first in the Western Conference. This year, they got two new rotation players in Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. Many insiders believe they can win 60 games and compete for a championship. To get there, the Thunder need Williams to take that third-year leap that many players do. In other words, go from a great role player, to an All-Star caliber player.
Here is a fun fact: a lot of stars win the Most Improved Player in their third season. Some of the star players winning in their third season include Ja Morant, Zach Randolph, Paul George, Kevin Love, Pascal Siakam, and CJ McCollum. Williams can certainly follow that route. And according to most NBA general managers, he has all the tools to do it. In a recent NBA GM survey, 13% of NBA general managers picked Williams to have a breakout season in 2024-25. In that same survey, Evan Mobley, Morant, and Victor Wembanyama got 10% of the votes, while Paolo Banchero got 7%.
How Can Williams Improve?
Williams finished the 2023-24 season with averages of 19.1 points, 4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, one steal, and more than half a block per game. At the same time, he shot 54% from the floor, 42.7% from behind the arc, and 81% from the free throw line. Yet, there are still areas where he can improve..
One area where he can improve is cutting down on his turnovers. Williams averaged 1.7 turnovers per game, slightly less than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. And if we look at the Thunder’s two preseason games, he already cut down on his turnovers. Williams had a single turnover in two games, one loss and one win.
Williams is great on defense, he forces plenty of turnovers and gets steals, but when he is at the point of attack, his decision-making could use some improvement. That will come as he works more on how he handles the ball.
Talking about Williams, Brian Windhorst also said:
“I loved hearing his mindset. I’ve loved what I’ve seen out of him in the preseason, and he’s in this magical, sometimes magical not guaranteed but this magical third year. For so many players is a magical year where they sort of come into their own and so the GMs see it and you know, if you’re looking for a reason why the Thunder can could pull off winning it all, it’s because they they have a bonafide superstar sitting there and a tremendous wing defender.”
