After Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault commended his leaders for adapting to the defensive hurdles in a 111-91 win against the Houston Rockets, All-Star Jalen Williams revealed the mindset of his team amidst two impressive wins. The Thunder defeated the second and third best teams in the Western Conference standings in the San Antonio Spurs and the Rockets in blowout fashion.
The Thunder reminded the league in its dominance that the defending champion still reigns supreme in the NBA. After the win, Williams opened up about what's changed in the Thunder's approach.
“We've been a lot [healthier] aside from [Isaiah Hartenstein], which is a big one. So, everybody's like settling into a role a little more. Guys, know the minutes that we're going to have. I wouldn't say comfortable,” Williams said. “I don't know if it's such a good word because we were [24-1]. So, it's like we had something going there. I think just toward the later end of that, going in expecting a win instead of earning a win, the way Mark [Daigneault] talks about.
“I think that was our big one. And that's just how we go about our process of winning the games and winning it to our standards, playing hard the whole game, moving the ball, getting out in transition, spacing; all that stuff we were kind of abandoning. And we were winning on talent. Now, the last couple of games, we've been able to win doing all of that. That's how we like to win games.”
The Thunder is on a five-game winning streak.
Jalen Williams on SGA trust in Thunder teammates
After Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gave an All-Star endorsement to Chet Holmgren, who's having a breakout season. However, for Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams, it was time to give Gilgeous-Alexander his flowers for having so much trust in his teammates.
Williams believes it factored into the Thunder winning a championship last season, and is a big reason why the defending champions are on pace to compete for another in 2026.
“I think Shai's had to trust us in really big moments, which is like, hats off to him, and we were able to win a championship because he was doing that,” Williams said. “So, I think that gives him a lot more confidence to trust us now. It's just one of those skills you need now that you can't try and get in April, May, and June, when you really need it. So, the more we can build that up and see these coverages, and play it that way, I think it makes it harder for teams to adjust to us because you don't really know what to throw at us.”
The next stop on the Thunder's road trip is against the Heat on Saturday.
