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Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams reflected on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP campaign at morning shootaround, revealing what he'll remember most is the non-basketball moments shared between the two. Before facing the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, Williams discussed how close-knit the Thunder have been in 2024-25.
When a reporter asked Williams if he'd ever been on a team with players as close as this year's Thunder team, he responded quickly.
“Nah. I would say pretty close is Santa Clara during COVID,” Williams said. “We were stuck in the hotel together, and those became some of my best friends that I still talk to. To this day, I feel like when you're forced to hang out with each other, you get close. But this team's dynamic is very special. It's definitely something unique to the NBA. I think we're still the youngest team in the NBA, or one of the youngest teams in the NBA, and it's cool. We're all growing up together. So, I think that's what makes it really unique and fun.”
Besides Alex Caruso, a 2020 champion Los Angeles Lakers member, this is the first third-round appearance for the rest of his Thunder teammates.
“Every experience, nervous or not, is really fun because we're playing basketball. You try and get back to that base as fast as you can. After playing Denver and playing in a Game 7, that's pretty high on the nerve scale. So, now everything else is like lower and we're kind of able to play again definitely. The nerves are good, and it drags us back to base to just having fun.”
The Thunder lead the Timberwolves 1-0 in the Western Conference Finals.
Jalen Williams on how close-knit the 2024-25 Thunder is
Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gifted teammates baskets worth $10,000 after winning this year's MVP. However, heading into Game 2, Williams and the Thunder must be vigilant against a hungry Timberwolves team looking to tie their best-of-7 series.
“Being able to take punches and throw some back for sure,” Williams said. “I think that's the biggest thing, it's not being shocked. Obviously, they're going to come out better and play harder, just being down 1-0 in the series and trying to steal one here. So, I think just understanding the mind of the opponent and not getting too high or too low during the game.”
The Thunder will host the Timberwolves at the Paycom Center on Thursday.
