Where will it stop Jalen Williams ? Because the very solid sophomore from Oklahoma City is gaining thickness from week to week. Last night, in Miami, he came close to a triple-double for the second game in a row, with 19 points on 8/15 shooting, 12 assists (career record) and 9 rebounds.
Over the five games in January, the former Santa Clara player averaged 19.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists, and 67% shooting success, including 64% from 3-point range. It thus progresses from month to month, going from 15.5 points in October, then 17.9 points in November and 18.8 points in December. Not to mention that he improved his shooting percentages, from 48% in October to 52% in November then 53% in December…
Against Miami, he confirmed that his duo with Chet Holmgren was taking serious shape, penetrating the defense and sending his friend several times to the alley-oop to take the Heat's defense a little too high.
“There is good dialogue during the match” explains Jalen Williams about its interior. “Chet is a really smart player. We can talk about the things he sees and the things I see. And then I just have to throw balls to him closer to the circle, and he's able to put them in there. »
The two men were thus at the heart of Oklahoma City's two big pushes, which knocked out the Heat. Two sequences where the Thunder closed ranks, while the team has relaxed lately.
“It comes down to playing hard”concludes Jalen Williams. “We have made up for the mistakes we made. We moved away from our objectives a little in this long period (a “road trip” started with two defeats in Atlanta and Brooklyn), but the last two matches allowed us to get back on track. »
