Last year, Jalen Williams came into his own and showed flashes of being able to be a co-star to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He averaged 19.1 points per game on 54%/42.7%/81.4% shooting splits. The Thunder hoped to see a bigger jump this season and build off his sophomore campaign. However, through the first 10 games, it wasn’t exactly the start the Thunder hoped for. In those 10 games, he only averaged 19.1 points per game the same as last year. However, since Chet Holmgren has gotten hurt in these last seven games he has taken his game to a new level. With Jalen Williams taking off these last seven games he is now on track to claim two major awards this season. Those two awards are being named the NBA’s most improved player and becoming a first-time all-star.
Jalen Williams on Track to Claim 2 Awards for the Thunder
Williams’s Improvement in the Last Seven Games
As mentioned above in the first 10 games Jalen Williams was only averaging 19.1 points per game. However, these last seven games after Holmgren’s injury has been very different. In these past seven games, he has averaged 26.4 points per game to take his season average to 22.1. These numbers were exactly the jump the Thunder were hoping to see from Williams in year three. He is finally looking like that true co-star next to Shai that the Thunder saw flashes of last year. In addition, he has been doing all of these things while playing heavy center minutes with Holmgren out and Isaiah Hartenstein not making his season debut until six days ago.
His Case for Most Improved Player
Improving his points per game isn’t the only thing he has improved this season. Williams has improved in every statistical category this season. He has increased his points per game by three from 19.1 to 22.1 which we have already discussed. He has also increased his assist per game from 4.5 to 5.2, and his rebounds from 4.0 to 6.5. In addition, he has increased his steals per game from 1.1 to 2.2, and his blocks from 0.6 to 1.0. He has improved in every statistical category by at least one or more besides assists per game. He has made all of these improvements while shooting very efficiently with 52.3%/39.3%/83.7% shooting splits and increased his shot attempts from 14.0 to 16.9. In addition, he has also shot more threes as well shooting 5.2 per game as opposed to 3.4.
With Holmgren being out till at least the end of January if not later, Williams will keep getting more opportunities like he has in the last seven games. These numbers are only going to keep improving and where they are now has already increased from last year. However, this award will be hard for him to get as there are a lot of other great candidates in the running for it. Ultimately, if he keeps improving these numbers it will be hard not to give it to someone who has improved in every area as opposed to others who only have done it in some areas.
He has a Good Chance of Being an All-Star
Last year Jalen Williams had a great case to be an all-star but ultimately missed it. This season with the numbers that he has been producing with Holmgren being injured he might just walk into the all-star game. He has become a legit offensive threat next to Shai and even in some games has been the best player on the Thunder. With all the injuries that the Thunder has dealt with this year, the Thunder would not be 13-4 without Williams. If his case wasn’t good enough yet, what he has done while guarding the opposing team’s centers has been remarkable.
When guarding at the rim he has held opponents to 47.3% shooting on 6.5 attempts. To put that into perspective Holmgren was holding opponents to 43.6% on 10.1 attempts. With his ability to cover 1-5 and the things he does on offense, he has become a versatile 2-way star for the Thunder. Even though the Western Conference is loaded with talent, if the Thunder can have the number one seed when the all-star break is happening. It will be hard for the Thunder not to have two players be represented in the all-star game if Williams keeps steady with these numbers or improves them some more.
The Last Word
Coming into this season, people thought it would be hard for the Thunder to claim awards with how deep they are. However, the injuries they have dealt with this season have opened the door for more opportunities. No one has benefited more from those openings than Jalen Williams. This year he has become a completely different player for the Thunder and has taken his game to new heights. If Jalen Williams can continue to play like this he will have a great chance at claiming those two awards. If he does this will be great for William’s development as well as the future of the Thunder.
