NBA teams aren’t as high on “older” prospects nowadays.
If you’re not a one-and-done player in college or overseas, chances are you’re not going to be a top pick, and you could even fall all the way to the second round.
That’s why the Oklahoma City Thunder were able to steal Jalen Williams out of Santa Clara with the No. 12 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The talented shooting guard was a junior already, being the first non-freshman or sophomore taken in his class.
Fast forward to today, and the 22-year-old has proven to be more than worthy of such a high selection, proving the doubters wrong and blossoming as one of the best players on the team.
As pointed out by StatMuse, he’s been on a roll during December, averaging 19.6 points per game on 53.8% from the floor, 52.8% from beyond the arc, and 87.9% from the charity stripe.
Jalen Williams this month:
19.6 PPG
53.8 FG%
52.8 3P%
87.9 FG%How high does he go in a 2022 redraft? https://t.co/XgMFU6X72I
— StatMuse (@statmuse) December 28, 2023
Those are elite efficiency numbers, so there’s no wonder why the Thunder are currently on pace to win 57 games if he’s currently their second-leading scorer and third-best player.
It’s still early in their careers, and they haven’t even been in the league for two full seasons.
Then again, Williams has already outplayed several players taken ahead of him — some of them even younger — including the likes of Jabari Smith Jr., Dyson Daniels, Jeremy Sochan, Johnny Davis, and Ousmane Dieng.
The sky seems to be the limit for this Thunder team, and they’ve done a fantastic job of scouting and developing young players like Williams.
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