Despite posting All-Star-caliber production, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams strives to improve. In a game in which the Thunder held a 30-point lead in their 119-109 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans, Williams was disappointed in his and Oklahoma City’s performance in the second half. The Pelicans outscored OKC 58-42 after halftime.
Fortunately, a 20-5 Thunder run set the tone early. Still, Williams believes maintaining consistency throughout is critical moving forward.
“We started well, playing hard to start the game. We sucked the rest of the game like the second half was bad,” Williams said. “The way our start was, and how we’ve started like that in the past, we’ve been able to maintain that the whole game.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31 points on 10-of-18 shooting, including 10-of-12 free-throw attempts, led the Thunder. Williams finished with 27 points, six rebounds, five assists, and four steals, while Lu Dort added 14 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Alex Caruso (14 points, two steals) led the bench.
“We just have to, like any team, play the next possession regardless of the score. That’s how you complete a 48-minute game, whether down or up,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “Credit New Orleans. They played all the way through to the finish line. They brought great juice despite being down 30. They just kept coming in the second half. They outplayed us in that half.
“So, we can learn from it. There [are] certainly some execution things we can learn from. Ultimately, we played well enough early to win the game,” Daigneault concluded.
Jalen Williams striving to be better despite an impressive campaign
Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) grabs a rebound for a dunk against New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (21) and colliding with Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) during the first half at Smoothie King Center
Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
After Jalen Williams and the Thunder’s incredible defensive feat against the Raptors, they let their foot off the gas in the second half against the Pelicans. Fortunately, they strung together enough defensive stops down the stretch to prevent a tie game as the game clock expired. Before Saturday night’s game, Williams revealed his desire to continue to grow as an NBA player.
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While reminding reporters he’s only in his third NBA season, Williams believes he’s far from reaching his full potential.
“I’m still test-driving a lot of my game,” Williams said. “I think a lot of it gets thrown out of the way because of early success that it’s year three. So, I’m still trying to figure out where I fit in the NBA and what I can do to improve my offensive capabilities.”
The Thunder are hosting the Mavericks in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday.