Stiles Points: Jalen Williams Poised For Postseason Leap

The NBA Playoffs have arrived. Hope springs eternal during this time of year, as by the time tip-off arrives, even No. 8 seeds believe they can go on massive runs.

Oklahoma City enters the NBA Playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with the best record in the NBA at 68-14. The Thunder are a popular pick to win the Western Conference and punch their ticket to the first NBA Finals appearance since 2012.

The Thunder had a record-breaking season that included the most double-digit wins in league history, the best cross-conference record of all time, a franchise-best win total and wire-to-wire dominance.

The bar is high for a Thunder team that is entering just its second postseason run together, but for good reason. This is not a normal young team, each metric reveals they should win an NBA Championship and Oklahoma City is rightfully embracing those expectations.

To accomplish their postseason goals? Jalen Williams has to play a massive role. With just ten playoff games under his belt, that saw him average 18.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.7 steals and nearly a block per game on 46/38/81 shooting splits.

Williams will be entrusted to carry the offensive load in the few minutes superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rests and when the two share the floor, the Santa Clara product has to be his right hand man.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him not play hard in a game ever. That is rare. He is 6-foot-6, he's got a seven-foot wingspan, guards every position, plays a lot of roles for us. Regardless of what’s going on in a season, for him individually or the team. We know he’s gonna bring it.” Daigneault said. "Leaning into all these experiences. He struggled a little bit in the middle of the Dallas series, but he quietly played a great game in Game 6 in the middle of the Dallas series...Just continuing to put one foot in front of the other, embrace all these experiences, understand it is not going to be easy for him or the team. But he brings the juice every night."

While most players are equipped to play this type of role in just their second crack at it, Williams has been an outlier every step of the way. From a multi-year mid-major college prospect to lottery pick, to All-Rookie and now an All-Star, the 24-year-old has quickly climbed the ranks in the NBA.

The most encouraging thing to point to when discussing his ability to be the Thunder's co-star is how Williams finished the season. After returning from a hip injury suffered on March 10, the third-year swingman played in eight games while averaging 24 points, four assists, four rebounds and a steal per game while shooting 52% from the floor, 39% from 3-point land and 77% at the charity stripe.

Couple his progress as a scorer with his elite-level defense that spans 1-5 thanks to his length and size giving him versatility. Williams grades out in the 90th percentile according to synergy.

With a big postseason, Williams will elevate his status around the NBA as expectations skyrocket.

Song of the Day: Tennessee Jed by Grateful Dead