Jalen Williams has been instrumental in the Oklahoma City Thunder achieving a dominant position during the last leg of the 2024-2025 regular season.
The Thunder have been sitting atop the Western Conference for some time now and are the only team to have clinched a playoff spot. Williams highlighted his and the squad’s mindset, which has led them to achieve this brilliance.
Jalen Williams Shares Mental Fortitude That Pushed the Thunder Forward
The Thunder, with a record of 58-12, have clinched the West and have the best record in the NBA this season. The 23-year-old has played a major part in this successful season.
He has averaged 21.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game this season. The 12th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft is only behind MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in scoring for the Thunder this season.
“Just trying to figure out how to continue to be aggressive through whatever is going on throughout the game,” Williams said in an interview highlighting his approach towards the game this season. “I think I’ve done a really good job at it this year.”
Oklahoma City also gained the No. 1 seed for the playoffs last year but couldn’t capitalize on it. The No. 5-seeded Dallas Mavericks eliminated them 4-2 in the conference semifinals. However, Williams assures that the team has learned their lesson and will prove their worth this time.
“We were younger than we are this year, so anytime we can get those experiences, it’s always good,” he said. “Obviously, we don’t want to lose games, but the playoffs is probably the best teacher. It’s just a feel that you don’t really get too often in the regular season.”
“I think what we’ve done a good job of this year is trying to play every game like it’s a playoff game, no matter who we’re playing. That’s kind of been our mentality the whole entire year.”
The small forward also addressed the fouls the Thunder have been dealing with this season. They rank 21st in the league in fouls committed.
“Obviously, everybody knows our free throw disparity, so a lot of it is going to come down to us being able to not foul.”
“While still playing the physical caliber defense that we will. The playoffs kind of allows for that. Obviously, there’s less and less calls and things like that. That’s going to be our biggest step forward,” he added.
Oklahoma City will be on the road for their next game on Sunday against the L.A. Clippers. Williams, who suffered a hip injury, was ruled out for this game, his sixth straight.