OKC Thunder: Jalen Williams Making Strong Push For Most Improved Player Award
The Oklahoma City Thunder is watching a new star be born during the 2023-24 NBA season. Jalen Williams has emerged as a player who is providing an incredible spark on a nightly basis.
On the season, Williams is averaging 18.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game through 44 games -- all of which have been starts. This is 4.6 more points per game on improved efficiency. Williams is shooting 54 percent from the field and an impressive 45 percent from beyond the arc. For perspective, he shot 36 percent on 3-pointers a season ago.
Evidently, Williams' improvement from his first season to his second is even more impressive when looking at the position he is in. He's playing alongside a legitimate MVP candidate.
Williams was in the rotation in his rookie season, but he played 13 games with no starts. From there, he made it known that he was a starter. He was hard to keep off the floor. From there, Williams continued to be a positive player making a bigger and bigger impact as time went on.
Instead of hitting a rookie wall, the 6-foot-6 wing showed his true potential and ability after the All-Star break, hinting at his star potential and helping propel the Thunder into the play-in game.
Over the offseason, the rookie prepared for his second season in a big way. Williams' improvement was noticeable, as he put on plenty of strength. This helps him play his versatile role and guard every position, which plays perfectly into the Thunder's unique system.
As mentioned, Williams has improved drastically in the box score this season, but he's now the primary option on offense when he staggers minutes with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He leads the second unit when Gilgeous-Alexander hits the bench, allowing him to play an increased role.
Williams' improvement is exactly what the Most Improved Player award should be. If a No. 1 pick makes that improvement from a potential star to a legitimate star in year two, that's almost expected.
However, Williams was the No. 12 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and even that came as a big surprise as most mock drafts had him as a second-round talent, and certainly not a lottery talent.
For a player to be picked in the latter half of the lottery yet make this leap so soon is incredibly impressive, and ideally what the Most Improved Player means. He's getting love for the award from sports books, too. ESPN BET gives him +4000 odds -- the fourth-best odds in the NBA -- to win the award.
If Williams' continues on his current trajectory, which has seen him blossom into one of the most reliable and impactful players in the fourth quarter, which is absurd for a second-year guy, he's going to be able to find his way to becoming a finalist for the award.
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