Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander highlighted his team’s defense and one of the team’s unsung heroes after Wednesday’s 120-103 win against the Memphis Grizzlies. Gilgeous-Alexander’s 41 points led five players in double figures, including Jaylin Williams, whose production off the bench was worth mentioning.
After the game, Gilgeous-Alexander discussed Williams’ impact.
“We have so many guys that come in whenever their number is called like just to highlight the one that was really special tonight [was] Jaylin Williams,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Chet comes back, he’s playing good ball. He naturally has a lesser role. He understands it. His attitude doesn’t change, his effort doesn’t change, who he is doesn’t change for the team. Some nights he plays, some nights he doesn’t play.
Some nights he gets told he’s not going to play, and then just gets thrown in and plays. Then, to have a massive case of a game like tonight was so big.”
With Holmgren (ankle) on the mend, Williams contributed 13 points on a perfect 4-of-4 threes, four rebounds, and two blocks in 19 minutes.
“Guys in my position, not taking it for granted, you’ll never understand how hard that is,” Gilgeous-Alexander adds. “To not have security in every night, I know: I’m going to play 35 minutes, and I’m going to shoot 20 shots. No matter what. To not have that and be steady as rock is special. We’re lucky to have a guy like that. He was who he was tonight, and it’s the reason why we’ve been a good team all year.”
Jalen Williams added 20 points, nine assists, five rebounds, two steals, and one block. Aaron Wiggins’ 16 points led the second unit, and Isaiah Hartenstein notched a double-double (10 points, 15 rebounds) in Wednesday’s win.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Jaylin Williams’ role for the Thunder
In a recent interview, Thunder guard Alex Caruso discussed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s two-way impact on the team. The MVP candidate’s leadership resonates with his teammates, including Jaylin Williams, whose team-friendly camaraderie was also mentioned during Gilgeous-Alexander’s media availability.
“He’s always working. He’s always communicating. He’s always talking to guys, whether it’s basketball-wise or off the court communicating,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “J-Will is the guy on the team that I’ve been with the past three years who’s had a good relationship with everybody. He talks to everybody. He’s probably one of the funniest guys on the team. He’s always talking. J-Will is special, and we’re lucky to have a guy like that.”
The Thunder will host the Trail Blazers on Friday.
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