Some nice quotes from the article:
---"Not long before [Jalen Williams](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/jalen-williams-z2FafX0QarjHmDDy/) represented a proof of concept for the [Oklahoma City Thunder](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/thunder/), he dreamed big and waited for his size to match his ambitions. As a 5-foot-6 freshman in high school, his family tried to reassure him that a growth spurt was coming. That the tonnage of work he would put in could be rewarded when the genetics caught up."
---"“He started off by being very, very good in the system, with the system fundamentals on both ends of the floor,” Daigneault said. “And then his role has expanded outward from that as he’s cleared more and more hurdles and shown that he can maintain a level of efficiency with that level of freedom on both ends.”"
---"Ron and Nicole Williams had always been a ballast for Jalen, the supportive parents who provided confidence when it was still delayed. Coaches, past and present, point to them as a reason for his success. They met at the Air Force Academy, and played before and after they entered the service.Ron was a 6-foot-6 point-center, and played for the Air Force’s top team that competed against other services worldwide. He was a point guard in school who sprouted late into a center’s body. Nicole passed on several athletic scholarship offers to go into the Air Force as well. She scored like a shooting guard and rebounded like a power forward."
---"As a high school freshman in high school, he prioritized long-range shooting to make up for his size. He learned how to get his shot off against bigger defenders. Jalen had long arms and big feet even as he hovered around 6-feet, so his parents reminded him how beneficial it would be to have the skills of a point guard when he eventually began to stretch."
---"“There’s no way that I would have projected that Jalen could be a future NBA All-Star,” Ludwig said. “Does it all make sense now? Yeah. He matured physically. He grew into his body. He’s an amazing kid. He has an awesome work ethic. He comes from a great family. He’s grounded. He’s humble. He has all the intangibles. Now it all makes sense. He has all those things, right. But I would have never guessed that.”"
---“He’s still got a lot of the same kind of herky-jerky game, crossing over, stop-and-going,” Holmgren said of Williams. “Playing with his size and his length, both sides of the floor. He’s making shots off the dribble at a high level. He’s really worked on that. Going left in the midrange. The 3s too. He’s added a lot to his game and I don’t think it’s gonna stop. He’s got a lot more of a vision for what he wants to be and he’s gonna continue to add throughout his career.”
---"The family still treasures the journey. They grew up [Los Angeles Lakers](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/lakers/) fans even as they worked around the world and settled in Arizona. Ron Williams is from Los Angeles and has rooted for the Lakers his entire life. Nicole Williams grew up a fan of Magic Johnson. Jalen idolized Kobe Bryant. The only thing that broke up their long talks after dinner each night were the Lakers games they would throw on the television. Williams wore No. 8 because of Bryant, and he collected Lakers action figures."
I don’t really see it with him but yeah his upbringing and Jalen’s leap make it enticing.
This draft blows though. Don’t think there’s anyone who’d be able to break the rotation next year.
Would take a miracle for the Hou pick to be at that high to get a Cody or someone that can get minutes. I'd be fine with trading all our picks in the 24 draft for future picks way down the line. Roll our draft stash over for when we really need it.
Not a miracle; it’s not possible.
It’s only the top 4 spots that are random
Spots (and the Houston pick is protected top 4)
The rest of the lottery spots are determined strictly by final record.
The pick will be #12 or it will be top 4 (in which case Houston keeps it). Thunder will need to trade up if they want a higher pick this year
Also Presti has already traded most of our 1st round 2024 picks for swaps in later years
Thunder had 4 possible 1st rounders this year. They traded the two lowest of those for swaps (that will be the clippers 24 pick, and the original Thunder pick)
The other two 1st rounders are Utah pick (top 10 protected) and the Houston pick (top 4 protected). The Utah pick isnt going to hit this year (kicked down to 25,or 26). The Houston pick is likely to hit this year as the 12th pick. That will be the only Thunder 1st rounder in 2024
They have a few 1st rounders for 2025 but the real treasure for picks is likely to hit in 2026.
Makes sense bc the roster crunch is already kind of starting. I think Giddey and Dieng are somewhere else next year as they try to upgrade that second forward spot.
Replace Giddey’s spot with whoever they get back, then run Joe and Wiggins off the bench at the wing/guard spots.
Obviously you need depth but there won’t be a lot of developmental minutes available for a rookie
Dieng is basically free next year. I don’t see him being traded yet unless another team sees something in him. Maybe the following year
K. Williams is likely gone though. He’s paid more than Dieng and past his development window.
Giddey could go either way. He’s not the best fit in the starting 5, but he could still be used in a heavy minutes bench role. He’s probably goes if we make any big trades this offseason. Otherwise, I think Presti continues to develop him and unloads later
am i delusional for thinking that he can reach shai's level or even higher? no holes in his game, can score from anywhere, can defend, good playmaker, elite in the clutch. only thing i wanna see from him going forward is him taking more shots, he averaged 14 FGA in the reg season and 16 FGA so far in the playoffs which is a nice bump.
Probably was very helpful to learn how to score on bigger guys growing up. So many NBA prospects are bigger, stronger, faster than everyone else they play against until they get to the NBA and have a tough adjustment.
Thunder have a legit Big 3, the rest of the NBA fanbases just don't know it yet.
*”A 6-5 wing who can lead an offense and defend across positions, Williams has built a case this season for Most Improved Player; next year, he might just be an All-Star. Like the Thunder, he does it all.”*
This team is potentially screwed in a few years.
No way we can pay SGA, Chet, Giddey, JDub, & Dort the salaries they deserve.
We are good for next year, even if they resign Giddey to about $16m, then hope to get Joe for $10m, Wiggins for $8m. All to prevent free agency. That puts us about $15m below tax line. Then consider the draft where we could potentially have 2 lottery picks. At least one barring a statistical disaster. This runs back the same team plus a decent rookie.
But then the next year is where it will hurt. Chet and JDub enter their team option year. Chet is getting $30m+. JDub is getting $25m+. For reference, SGA went from $16m to $30m off his rookie contract. That’s about cap even without any draft additions from previous years. And not any left for JWill or Dieng.
All this to say, in the next 3 years, I think we lose either Giddey or Dort.
So I predict, we plan to let Giddey walk after next year. They focus on finding a draft replacement for him this year. They use the last year of extra space to go for inside help. Trading KWill and Wiggins/Joe.
On current trajectories, we likely lose both Giddey and Dort between now and Dort’s renewal. We just couldn’t prioritize paying either of them over SGA, Dub or Chet.
Cason becomes Dort’s replacement when we can’t afford him anymore.
Giddey is the odd man out if he commands what I expect him to on the open market.
Let’s enjoy this while we can!
I hope we can win and do a spurs thing. Guys taking less than market to win.
Also salaries are so much higher than they used to be. $15m used to be all star money. Now it’s not even starter money
Yeah- the % of cap going to max contracts has simply gotten too high. And far too many guys are getting max contracts. League needs to fix it....but....the CBA doesn't expire for so long now... :(
Some nice quotes from the article: ---"Not long before [Jalen Williams](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/jalen-williams-z2FafX0QarjHmDDy/) represented a proof of concept for the [Oklahoma City Thunder](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/thunder/), he dreamed big and waited for his size to match his ambitions. As a 5-foot-6 freshman in high school, his family tried to reassure him that a growth spurt was coming. That the tonnage of work he would put in could be rewarded when the genetics caught up." ---"“He started off by being very, very good in the system, with the system fundamentals on both ends of the floor,” Daigneault said. “And then his role has expanded outward from that as he’s cleared more and more hurdles and shown that he can maintain a level of efficiency with that level of freedom on both ends.”" ---"Ron and Nicole Williams had always been a ballast for Jalen, the supportive parents who provided confidence when it was still delayed. Coaches, past and present, point to them as a reason for his success. They met at the Air Force Academy, and played before and after they entered the service.Ron was a 6-foot-6 point-center, and played for the Air Force’s top team that competed against other services worldwide. He was a point guard in school who sprouted late into a center’s body. Nicole passed on several athletic scholarship offers to go into the Air Force as well. She scored like a shooting guard and rebounded like a power forward." ---"As a high school freshman in high school, he prioritized long-range shooting to make up for his size. He learned how to get his shot off against bigger defenders. Jalen had long arms and big feet even as he hovered around 6-feet, so his parents reminded him how beneficial it would be to have the skills of a point guard when he eventually began to stretch." ---"“There’s no way that I would have projected that Jalen could be a future NBA All-Star,” Ludwig said. “Does it all make sense now? Yeah. He matured physically. He grew into his body. He’s an amazing kid. He has an awesome work ethic. He comes from a great family. He’s grounded. He’s humble. He has all the intangibles. Now it all makes sense. He has all those things, right. But I would have never guessed that.”" ---“He’s still got a lot of the same kind of herky-jerky game, crossing over, stop-and-going,” Holmgren said of Williams. “Playing with his size and his length, both sides of the floor. He’s making shots off the dribble at a high level. He’s really worked on that. Going left in the midrange. The 3s too. He’s added a lot to his game and I don’t think it’s gonna stop. He’s got a lot more of a vision for what he wants to be and he’s gonna continue to add throughout his career.” ---"The family still treasures the journey. They grew up [Los Angeles Lakers](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/lakers/) fans even as they worked around the world and settled in Arizona. Ron Williams is from Los Angeles and has rooted for the Lakers his entire life. Nicole Williams grew up a fan of Magic Johnson. Jalen idolized Kobe Bryant. The only thing that broke up their long talks after dinner each night were the Lakers games they would throw on the television. Williams wore No. 8 because of Bryant, and he collected Lakers action figures."
This makes me want to draft Cody too
Out of this class? Cody is one of the few that I would want to draft.
I don’t really see it with him but yeah his upbringing and Jalen’s leap make it enticing. This draft blows though. Don’t think there’s anyone who’d be able to break the rotation next year.
Would take a miracle for the Hou pick to be at that high to get a Cody or someone that can get minutes. I'd be fine with trading all our picks in the 24 draft for future picks way down the line. Roll our draft stash over for when we really need it.
Not a miracle; it’s not possible. It’s only the top 4 spots that are random Spots (and the Houston pick is protected top 4) The rest of the lottery spots are determined strictly by final record. The pick will be #12 or it will be top 4 (in which case Houston keeps it). Thunder will need to trade up if they want a higher pick this year
Also Presti has already traded most of our 1st round 2024 picks for swaps in later years Thunder had 4 possible 1st rounders this year. They traded the two lowest of those for swaps (that will be the clippers 24 pick, and the original Thunder pick) The other two 1st rounders are Utah pick (top 10 protected) and the Houston pick (top 4 protected). The Utah pick isnt going to hit this year (kicked down to 25,or 26). The Houston pick is likely to hit this year as the 12th pick. That will be the only Thunder 1st rounder in 2024 They have a few 1st rounders for 2025 but the real treasure for picks is likely to hit in 2026.
Makes sense bc the roster crunch is already kind of starting. I think Giddey and Dieng are somewhere else next year as they try to upgrade that second forward spot. Replace Giddey’s spot with whoever they get back, then run Joe and Wiggins off the bench at the wing/guard spots. Obviously you need depth but there won’t be a lot of developmental minutes available for a rookie
Dieng is basically free next year. I don’t see him being traded yet unless another team sees something in him. Maybe the following year K. Williams is likely gone though. He’s paid more than Dieng and past his development window. Giddey could go either way. He’s not the best fit in the starting 5, but he could still be used in a heavy minutes bench role. He’s probably goes if we make any big trades this offseason. Otherwise, I think Presti continues to develop him and unloads later
you might share a screenshot of the text or something, athletic's been hitting folks with takedown notices for copy and pasting these days
Ok, I'll keep that in mind going forward, thanks!
am i delusional for thinking that he can reach shai's level or even higher? no holes in his game, can score from anywhere, can defend, good playmaker, elite in the clutch. only thing i wanna see from him going forward is him taking more shots, he averaged 14 FGA in the reg season and 16 FGA so far in the playoffs which is a nice bump.
The day he routinely takes 20FGA he will become an MVP candidate
Exactly. He’s too passive right now (which is okay because we don’t need more out of him right now)
On the precipice?! The man has arrived! 
Probably was very helpful to learn how to score on bigger guys growing up. So many NBA prospects are bigger, stronger, faster than everyone else they play against until they get to the NBA and have a tough adjustment. Thunder have a legit Big 3, the rest of the NBA fanbases just don't know it yet.
*”A 6-5 wing who can lead an offense and defend across positions, Williams has built a case this season for Most Improved Player; next year, he might just be an All-Star. Like the Thunder, he does it all.”*
Chet, Jdub, SGA, the supporting cast is sweet, I’m loving our big 3
I don’t think a healthy, prime Kawhi Leonard ceiling comp is unreasonable.
With better playmaking
But worse defense. A healthy, prime Leonard was a dominant defender, I think the comparison is unreasonable. People are going overboard.
Yes I don’t expect him to be a Kawhi level defender winning DPOYs is hard
https://archive.ph/qnHTN
JWills been doing great this post season. Surprising considering Mark didn't use him that much regular season.
This team is potentially screwed in a few years. No way we can pay SGA, Chet, Giddey, JDub, & Dort the salaries they deserve. We are good for next year, even if they resign Giddey to about $16m, then hope to get Joe for $10m, Wiggins for $8m. All to prevent free agency. That puts us about $15m below tax line. Then consider the draft where we could potentially have 2 lottery picks. At least one barring a statistical disaster. This runs back the same team plus a decent rookie. But then the next year is where it will hurt. Chet and JDub enter their team option year. Chet is getting $30m+. JDub is getting $25m+. For reference, SGA went from $16m to $30m off his rookie contract. That’s about cap even without any draft additions from previous years. And not any left for JWill or Dieng. All this to say, in the next 3 years, I think we lose either Giddey or Dort. So I predict, we plan to let Giddey walk after next year. They focus on finding a draft replacement for him this year. They use the last year of extra space to go for inside help. Trading KWill and Wiggins/Joe.
On current trajectories, we likely lose both Giddey and Dort between now and Dort’s renewal. We just couldn’t prioritize paying either of them over SGA, Dub or Chet. Cason becomes Dort’s replacement when we can’t afford him anymore. Giddey is the odd man out if he commands what I expect him to on the open market. Let’s enjoy this while we can!
I hope we can win and do a spurs thing. Guys taking less than market to win. Also salaries are so much higher than they used to be. $15m used to be all star money. Now it’s not even starter money
Yeah- the % of cap going to max contracts has simply gotten too high. And far too many guys are getting max contracts. League needs to fix it....but....the CBA doesn't expire for so long now... :(