{"id":113345,"date":"2024-12-20T11:30:47","date_gmt":"2024-12-20T16:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=113345"},"modified":"2024-12-20T11:30:47","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T16:30:47","slug":"holmgren-jalen-williams-reputation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/12\/20\/holmgren-jalen-williams-reputation\/","title":{"rendered":"Holmgren Is The Quickest Way To Fix Jalen Williams’ Reputation"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> have emerged as favorites in the Western Conference. However, their NBA Cup<\/a> loss to the Milwaukee Bucks<\/a> exposed critical flaws. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a> (SGA) remains an MVP-level talent, but the team\u2019s secondary shot-creation issues linger. Jalen Williams<\/a>, often seen as the Thunder’s potential co-star, has struggled in pivotal moments. Williams is building an unenviable reputation which Chet Holmgren<\/a> could provide the quickest fix to.<\/p>\n

Chet Holmgren Is The Quickest Way To Fix Jalen Williams’ Reputation<\/h2>\n

Jalen Williams\u2019 Struggles in Big Moments<\/h3>\n

Williams<\/a> showed flashes of brilliance last season but faltered when it mattered most. During the Thunder\u2019s second-round playoff loss to Dallas, Williams averaged<\/a> 17 points on only 50.8% true shooting. His difficulties in the playoffs seemed to resurface during the NBA Cup elimination games this season.<\/p>\n

In three crucial games, Williams averaged<\/a> 18.7 points per game on 44% true shooting:<\/p>\n

18 points on 21 shots vs. Dallas<\/p>\n

20 points on 20 shots vs. Houston<\/p>\n

18 points on 20 shots vs. Milwaukee<\/p>\n

Against Milwaukee, Williams struggled to finish at the basket, even when defended by less imposing players like AJ Green<\/a> and Gary Trent Jr.<\/a> When additional defensive help arrived, Williams found it even harder to create quality looks. These performances highlight a growing concern: Williams may lack the ability to consistently deliver as a second option in high-pressure situations.<\/p>\n

Gilgeous-Alexander Can\u2019t Shoulder the Entire Load<\/h3>\n

SGA also struggled<\/a> in the NBA Cup final, scoring 21 points on 24 shots. However, SGA has proven he can excel on the biggest stage. At 26, he is in his prime, whereas Williams is still only 23 and in his third season.<\/p>\n

Despite Williams\u2019 struggles, his talent is undeniable. He averages 21.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game with strong defense. His All-Star potential is clear, but questions remain about his ability to step up in critical moments.<\/p>\n

Holmgren Changes the Equation<\/h3>\n

The return<\/a> of Holmgren provides the Thunder<\/a> with a solution to their shot creation issues. Holmgren, one of the team\u2019s best shooters (37.8% from three this year) forces defenses to stay honest. During tight NBA Cup games, opposing teams exploited weak offensive links like Alex Caruso<\/a> or Isaiah Hartenstein<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With Holmgren in the lineup, defenses must respect his shooting. This spacing would allow Williams more room to attack his defender one-on-one. Holmgren also relieves pressure on Williams, who won\u2019t have to shoulder as much of the scoring load.\u00a0Holmgren\u2019s presence could significantly enhance Williams’ effectiveness by creating a balanced offense. Teams can no longer collapse on SGA or shade extra help toward Williams without leaving Holmgren open.<\/p>\n

A Reputation in Question<\/h3>\n

Williams\u2019 struggles in high-pressure games have raised doubts about his ability to thrive as a second option. While his skill set and production suggest a star in the making, he has yet to prove he can carry that responsibility consistently.<\/p>\n

However, Williams is still young and improving. Adding Holmgren to the lineup gives him the support he needs to develop without overwhelming pressure. Holmgren\u2019s ability to stretch the floor and create space will unlock Williams\u2019 full potential as a scorer and playmaker.<\/p>\n

Holmgren Helps Jalen Williams Develop at His own pace<\/h3>\n

The Thunder\u2019s contention in the Western Conference depends on solving their secondary shot creation issues. While Williams has shown potential, his struggles in critical moments highlight the need for help. Holmgren\u2019s return provides a practical and immediate solution, allowing Williams to thrive in a more balanced offense. With Holmgren on the court, Williams can grow into the consistent star the Thunder need to compete for a championship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Oklahoma City Thunder have emerged as favorites in the Western Conference. However, their NBA Cup loss to the Milwaukee Bucks exposed critical flaws. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) remains an MVP-level talent, but the team\u2019s secondary shot-creation issues linger. Jalen Williams, often seen as the Thunder’s potential co-star, has struggled in pivotal moments. Williams is building […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":113372,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,22],"tags":[49366,2037,4292,49614,1623,993,4609,596,563,1489],"class_list":["post-113345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-thunder","tag-aj-green","tag-alex-caruso","tag-chet-holmgren","tag-emirates-nba-cup","tag-gary-trent-jr","tag-isaiah-hartenstein","tag-jalen-williams","tag-nba-playoffs","tag-nba-western-conference","tag-shai-gilgeous-alexander"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113345"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":113373,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113345\/revisions\/113373"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}