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.

After all the glitz and glamour, the Oklahoma City Thunder ended their 2024 NBA Cup run with a dud. They lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the finals and only mustered 81 points. The good news is the 83rd game doesn't count toward the standings.

Coming into the season, the Thunder had a clear ‘Big Three’ on the roster, and it matched up favorably against most in the NBA. Obviously Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is at the top, but Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are rising stars that have taken the team to a new level.

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.

Jalen Williams, who attempted nine shots in the paint, never made it to the free-throw line. OKC's 105-99 win over the Magic was the boiling point.

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.

After missing the first quarter of the 2024-25 campaign, Oklahoma City center Jaylin Williams received a massive round of applause from the Paycom Center crowd in his return to action.