Twelfth total choice in the 2022 NBA Draft Jalen Williams proved why Presti was keen to take a shot on a 3rd lottery decide in his preseason slate.
A junior out of Santa Clara, Williams noticed his draft inventory skyrocket in his newest season, finally touchdown with the Thunder as their third choice in the primary spherical.
After a powerful Summer League exhibiting, it was clear Williams was set to be a significant a part of the OKC squad.
One five-game preseason slate later, it’s clear that’s true.
Williams completed because the third main scorer total for Oklahoma City, averaging 14.4 factors in 5 video games in simply 26.3 minutes. He shot 61 % from the sphere and simply 22 % from past the arc.
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In the ultimate contest, Williams poured on 21 factors on 7-for-8 capturing towards the Spurs, showcasing a number of other ways he can rating the basketball.
He was used in quite a lot of methods all through the video games, an an off-ball cutter and slasher, and because the video games waned on, at the same time as a major creator.
But Williams confirmed his price outdoors of scoring too. He completed solely behind second-year guard Josh Giddey in assists, averaging 5.2 per recreation and topping out at 13 in one contest.
At 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot wingspan, Williams additionally showcased his premier capacity to protect almost any place, averaging 1.8 steals to go together with his staunch protection.
At 21-years-old, Williams is older than most rookies basic Manager Sam Presti has taken probabilities on, nevertheless it’s clear he’s going to be a pivotal a part of the rebuild transferring ahead.
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story by The Texas Tribune Source link