OKC's Jalen Williams on Defensive Mastery: 'God had me grow at the right time in college'

The NBA Finals are tipping off in Oklahoma City for games one and two of the series before going to Indiana for two.

Thunder guard Jalen Williams met with the media ahead of the series to discuss the matchup, but also his own journey of getting to where he is now as a player.

Defensive Versatility and Recognition on Display

He has been a dominant figure in demanding offenses to take tough shots under his defensive efforts. Williams takes on the role of guarding some of the best players on the opposing team every single game alongside his teammate Lu Dort. Some outlets label Jalen as a 'versatile stopper' when it comes to his defensive abilities. Just in the playoffs, he's averaging 1.6 steals per game and has 26 total through 16 postseason games. Last month, he was named to the 2024-25 Kia NBA All-Defensive Second Team, alongside Minnesota's Rudy Gobert and others. 

"God had me grow at the right time in college," according to Williams. "So, I was short for a long time. I was guarding little guards. Obviously, I grew. I think that kind of helped. Obviously the taller you are, you can guard more positions. The Thunder did a really good job I think grooming me into that. Just throughout my first year, they put me in so many different situations. I was able to learn from them and get better through the situations. I just think I was in a really good position to where, like, as a rookie, I was able to do trial and error and do a bunch of stuff like that. So when I get to these moments now, I have had more years under my belt to like learn how to guard smaller and bigger guards. I've been able to grow through the process of doing that. Defense is a mentality, too. Regardless of who you're guarding, if you go out there and compete, you can be pretty good defensively."

Gratitude to the OKC Community

Jalen was drafted by the OKC Thunder in 2022 from Santa Clara in the 12th pick of the draft and has been a difference maker ever since. He expressed immense gratitude to the community because he feels like he's been welcomed into the OKC family since day one, from fans every game, every season.

"I've honestly felt like the energy from the city since I've been drafted. When I got here, there was a ton of people outside the hotel, like, waiting to see us, congratulate us," Williams smiled. "I always compare it to, like, a small local high school football team being really good, and the city around them kind of gathers around them. That's how Oklahoma is. But it's with that with the whole state. Everywhere we go, I've been met with love since I've been out here. It's a really cool experience. Even the past two years, I'm really happy I get to be a part of two really good teams. I think it just brings the city more and more life. I'm happy that we get to bring that back here."

Finding Consistency Amid Playoff Ups and Downs

It's been a game of inconsistent nights for Williams throughout this playoff run. When the stat sheet wasn't showing big scoring nights from him, he shone in other areas.

"I wouldn't say I learned anything new about my game. I think what I've learned is there's highs and lows with every series. There's highs and lows with every game. The more that you can stay even throughout it all, the better off you'll be. I think that's where I found a lot of my success."