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Jalen Williams' ascension has been a fun one to watch for Oklahoma City Thunder fans, but how good really is the third-year OKC player? Well, former NBA player Jeff Teague is willing to say he is on the same level as NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.
Teague, in praising Williams, compared the Santa Clara product to Brown before taking it a step further.
“I think Jalen Williams is a premiere player in the league,” Teague said on his ‘Club 520' podcast. “I compare him to a JB kind of player, Jaylen Brown, I think they’re very similar. Both can attack the basket really well, capable 3-point shooters, good defenders. I compare them two. I think he’s a young Jaylen Brown.”
When Teague's co-host Bishop Henn tried to clarify that Teague was not saying Williams is currently as good as Brown, Teague corrected him.
“S–t, he is. I’m saying he is,” Teague said. “Why not? Go check the stats … You put Jalen Williams on the Celtics right now, it’s going to be the same s–t.”
That's about as high of praise as one could give to Williams considering Brown was instrumental in helping Boston win the NBA Championship just six months ago.
Jalen Williams vs. Jaylen Brown stats comparison
Is there validity to Teague's comparison? The stats would seem to say so.
About a quarter way through this season, Williams and Brown average the same number of points per 36 minutes (24.6) on a nearly identical number of field goal attempts. The players' shot diets are slightly different; Brown, in the Celtics' five-out offense, shoots more threes than Williams, who is more efficient (59.4% TS vs. 55.7%) but does not shoot as many perimeter shots or get to the free-throw line as often as Brown. Williams is also a slightly better rebounder and passer, and his steals per 36 ranks in the top 10 in the league.
Both Brown and Williams are also the second options for their respective teams; Brown plays alongside Jayson Tatum, who has the seventh-highest usage rate this season, while Williams plays with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who ranks third in usage this season.
The key difference between their teams, though, is the Celtics' offensive depth. This year, six Boston players are averaging at least 12.6 points, including Kristaps Porzingis, who is averaging 20.3 points in six games after missing the start of the season. The Thunder, on the other hand, are much more reliant on the offensive production and creation of Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams; only those two and Chet Holmgren, who is currently out with a hip injury, are averaging more than 12 points per game.
Either way, the results have been ideal for both teams, as Boston is 20-5 and second in the Eastern Conference, while Oklahoma City is 19-5 and atop the West.
Williams and the Thunder will meet the Celtics for the first time this season on Jan. 5 in Oklahoma City.
