Jalen Williams helped the Oklahoma City Thunder to a crucial victory in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.
While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander almost had a 40-point triple-double, Williams also scored 34 to help his team take a 3-1 series lead.
The small forward’s contribution was much-needed, not just because the Thunder won by only two points but also because he struggled in Game 3.
Williams had 13 points in the previous contest, so head coach Mark Daigneault was pleased to see him make a “great adjustment” in response to the Timberwolves’ defense.
To some extent, the Thunder will go as far as Williams takes them in these playoffs because his offensive production is not guaranteed.
While Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander puts up at least 25 points most of the time, Williams’ scoring is far more inconsistent.
The Thunder’s second option was limited to 13 in Game 3, as the Thunder lost by 42, but he bounced back well in Game 4.
“He’s still learning. He’s a young player, and these are rich experiences for him,” Daigneault explained after Williams went 3-1 up against the Timberwolves.
“Last game, they did a good job on him. They forced him right and kept him on his right hand. I thought he fought that a little bit. He was trying to fight onto his left hand.
“Tonight, he just took what they gave him. He still found his cracks and was able to get in both directions. He was just in control most of the night.
“He never seemed sped up or like they were dictating anything, and that’s what the great offensive players can do. Just a great adjustment by him tonight in the game. I thought he was outstanding offensively.”
One journalist asked Daigneault whether he learned anything from the Thunder’s 128-126 victory on Monday night.
OKC certainly deserved credit for playing so well two days after an embarrassing defeat, but the team’s “resilience or perseverance” was never in doubt.
That’s why Daigneault was perhaps not as impressed by the Thunder’s Game 4 performance as many were.
“I learned nothing,” he said. “This team is easy to bet on. We had a very normal couple of days leading into it and a very normal shootaround today.
“There was just kind of an internal sense that we were going to come out, and it would be a very different game, and it was. I didn’t learn anything about resilience or perseverance.”
