Jalen Williams was recently regarded as the Oklahoma City Thunder's best young up-and-comer, according to ESPN insiders.

So Williams’ 33 points on 12-of-25 shooting mattered, more specifically his fourth-quarter rampage. But his effort, uncommon for a young player fresh off the unrecognizable performance he’d had in Orlando, pushed OKC over the top.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has firmly established himself as an MVP candidate, but whether he has a true co-star remains unclear. Jalen Williams has shown brilliant flashes but fell short in critical moments last season, averaging 17 points on only 50.8% true shooting in Oklahoma City’s second-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Oklahoma City has been one of the league’s best teams as the halfway mark on the season approaches, and it seems like they’ll only get better down the stretch.

Like Thanos collecting the Infinity Stones, the Oklahoma City Thunder are almost fully healthy. After missing the first 27 games due to a nagging hamstring strain, Jaylin Williams made his 2024-25 season debut in a 123-105 win over the Washington Wizards.