OKC Thunder rising star Jalen Williams has established himself as one of the game’s breakout stars. the brightest young stallions through two seasons in the association.
This past campaign, in particular, certainly cemented his status as such, as he continued to drop career-high averages virtually across the board by posting 19.1 points, 4.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals while shooting 54.0 percent from the field and 42.7 percent from three-point range en route to a fourth-place finish in the Most Improved Player race.
From his ever-evolving game to his demeanor on the court, it seems like the 23-year-old is determined to improve his game with each passing day, and recently it was revealed that even mid-game, he tries to learn a thing or two to help him improve his craft.
During a recent appearance On The Old Man and the Three, Memphis Grizzlies All-Star power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. discussed who he considers to be the biggest trash talkers in the league, and when revealing his first pick, Williams was the hands-down choice.
“He wants to talk about X’s and O’s… He wants to talk about basketball. He’ll say, ‘Dude, did you see that? Why did he cut to the –.’ I don’t know. I don’t care.” Jackson said of Williams.
Interestingly, Jackson doesn’t appear to be the only one who has suffered Willams’ on-court antics, as another podcast guest, Trey Murphy III of the New Orleans Pelicans, corroborated this trend by specifically highlighting a memory he had from his club’s first-round series against the Thunder last postseason.
“Even in the playoffs, he’s talking. I’m like, ‘Man, it’s Game 2. We can’t talk to each other.'” Murphy remembers.
In fact, it might be one of the funniest things to make fun of on the court. Far from Kevin Garnett’s “honey and nuts” remarks, the Thunder star is being singled out for literally being a student of the game.
While certainly amusing, this revelation should excite the Loud City nation, as, if nothing else, it shows Williams’ desire to continue learning ways to strengthen and deepen his bag of tricks.
Especially for a natural three like J-Dub playing out of position at the bottom of the four, who better to ask for advice than one of the best power forwards in the game right now in Jackson and a legitimate power forward like Murphy?
